Bagh Nakh Weapon

          Bagh Nakh, also called a tiger claw, is a weapon that was used by warriors in India a long time ago. One famous king named Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj used it to defeat his enemy. Some Sikh warriors also use it, usually holding it in their left hand while holding a bigger weapon in their right hand. In the Punjabi language, it is called Sher Panja. The Bagh Nakh is designed to fit over the knuckles or be hidden under the hand and has four curved blades attached to a crossbar or a glove. It is made of strong materials like carbon steel and brass.

          The Bagh Nakh is associated with the Maratha Empire of the 17th and 18th centuries, and examples appear to have originated in the state of Maharashtra and in the major city of Satara in Kolhapur. A famous historical event may have helped spread the concept.

          The story is related to Emperor Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Shivaji Maharaj established an independent Maratha state around his hometown of Pune after successfully revolting against the Bijapur Sultanate. In 1674, during a battle with the Bijapur army, Shivaji Maharaj pretended to want to negotiate with their military leader Afzal Khan. Shivaji Maharaj secretly wore a chain mail shirt under his clothes, a dagger hidden in his left sleeve and a Bagh Nakh in his right hand. When the two leaders met in a pavilion between the two armies, they formally and peacefully embraced each other. At this point, Shivaji Maharaj stabbed Afzal Khan in the abdomen with the help of Bagh Nakh