The Maharaja of Jodhpur’s Guns (H.B)

In 1972, H.H. Maharaja Gaj Singhji of Jodhpur-Marwar transformed the Rathores’ magnificent Mehrangarh Fort into a highly successful Rajput museum and cultural centre. As part of this work, the Mehrangarh Museum Trust commissioned this book. The author discusses the worldwide medieval diffusion of firearms technology and the influences of Arab, Ottoman, European, and Chinese cultures on the development of Indian firearms. Jodhpur was one of the most critical military states in Rajasthan, playing a significant role in the history of the subcontinent, never more so than during the reign of Maharaja Ajit Singhji (1678–1724), who purchased large numbers of guns when his daughter married the Mughal emperor. Jodhpur is home to the finest Indian matchlocks in the subcontinent, which were much admired at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. Successive maharajas have added to the collection, which includes modern British and American sporting guns, shotguns, revolvers and automatic pistols by many of the great makers of the twentieth century, collected by the Maharaja’s grandfather, a noted hunter, and his father, a gun designer. The Maharaja of Jodhpur’s Guns is the first book to be explicitly written on historic Indian firearms. With more than 350 unique images of guns and Rajput paintings from private collections, showcasing their use, this book offers scholars and collectors the opportunity to view the superb Jodhpur collection and learn about Rajput traditions related to hunting and war.