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Keher&Kapur Singh - Nihangs


Freed

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Nihang Singhs

a portrait of 'Ajaib Singh Nihang' - said to be 100 years old - by Keher Singh mid 19th cent.

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a Nihang and Nihangni -

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An Akali Sikh - by Kapur Singh mid 19th cent.

A great study - note the 'backwards' flowing 'farla' - and the battle scars - missing teeth, the withered arm and the crutch as well as the ripped clothing - he has obviously seen some 'action' !

also note he is carrying all his possessions on his back and they are tied along with his shaster with woven string - a practice you still see today - see photograph below - does anyone know the 'secret' of tying those 'knots' - I got that little kirpan in Anandpur - but I still can't work out the knot - even though I watched the Nihang Singh tie it in front of me ! - any tips very welcome !

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in the nihang and nihangi picture, notice the females salwar, how the style is similar to the patiala salwar style of today (if any one knows what tht looks like) and also how it goes tighter at th bottom- this was because the salwar was not allowed to touch the floor....this salwar is extremely similar to the way namdhari women have their salwar also

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Freed its dead simple, you tie one bit round the other bit on the left and wind round about four times and then with the other bit, loop that through the right but, kind of half knot so that it looks a bit like a hoop but not quite, then pull half tight, get your thumb through that hoop, then pull the other string over your shoulder slightly and twist the kirpan facing due northwest while opening your thumb and forefinger into a sort of heart shape so as to pull the first bit under the left hoop, drop the shoulder, pull really hard and bobs your uncle. I learnt that from a mahapuratansnatanpavittarudhhasityagi old lady in rotheram, 1983.

Remarkable paintings as always.

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Freed its dead simple, you tie one bit round the other bit on the left and wind round about four times and then with the other bit, loop that through the right but, kind of half knot so that it looks a bit like a hoop but not quite, then pull half tight, get your thumb through that hoop, then pull the other string over your shoulder slightly and twist the kirpan facing due northwest while opening your thumb and forefinger into a sort of heart shape so as to pull the first bit under the left hoop, drop the shoulder, pull really hard and bobs your uncle. I learnt that from a mahapuratansnatanpavittarudhhasityagi old lady in rotheram, 1983.

Remarkable paintings as always.

Of course!!... Why didn't I think of that earlier?! :roll:

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Gurfateh !

Yes it is a shield - it's the back cover of B N Goswamy's 'Piety and Splendour'.

The shield is said to have belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and is in the collection of the Ram Bagh Museum in Amritsar (well worth a visit - great collection and it sells some great posters !)

The Shield is steel with relief work in brass overlaid with gold - Diameter of 49 cms.

It includes an image of Ranjit Singh and 3 other figures which could be his son Kharakh Singh and Hira Singh.

The outer ring has 8 cartouches surrounded by fine arabesques and floral patterns - the cartouches include 2 wrestlers, a rider 'tentpegging' , a warrior fighting 2 lions, a lion and dragon in combat, 2 camels fighting, and an image of Durga on tiger-back attacking the demon Mahishasura.

The eighth cartouche has 2 club wielding combatants - one looks a little like Hanuman - you can make out a tail - so it could be Hanuman fighting Lankini or Meghnaad - But I'm not sure.

What do you think ?

Here are the pictures -

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Ranjit Singh

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The other 3 figures

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The wrestlers

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The camels

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2 lions

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Dragon and lion

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Tent pegging

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Durga and Mahishasura

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Hanuman ?

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Freed

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