Rajasthan government to restore 1,500 old and antique war weapons

In a unique initiative to restore the sheen of old and antique weapons once used by the erstwhile Princes of Rajasthan, the States Archaeological Department is taking the services of a team of experts for their cleaning and renovation.

By Lokendra Singh

Jaipur, Dec.3 : In a unique initiative to restore the sheen of old and antique weapons once used by the erstwhile Princes of Rajasthan, the State's Archaeological Department is taking the services of a team of experts for their cleaning and renovation.

The project is first of its kind by the Rajasthan government for cleaning and renovation of around 1,500 old and antique weapons from all over the State.

Some of these antique weapons had precious stones embedded on them. Maintaining the originality of these weapons is a mammoth task. For this, a special traditional chemical and tools are being prepared to clean the weapons. There are about ten experts in the panel to carry out the special assignment.

Abid Sagir, a professional metal cleaner who is a part of the project, explained how carefully the cleaning is done to avoid damage to the antique weapons.

"This cleaning will be conducted to maintain the originality of the weapons. First of all, the rust will be removed carefully. Then precious stones embedded on the weapons will be polished by 'Kashish' (a special cleansing agent), which was used, in ancient times. This cleansing agent is made with various herbs. We have the formula to make the same. We'll make it and use it to clean the weapons," said Abid Sagir.

Special instruments have been prepared to avoid any scratch or damage to the antique items.

Nanhe Khan, a professional metal cleaner explained how these instruments work.

"These instruments are specially made to remove the rust and dirt from the weapons effectively. They clean the metal and make them look new. Everything including rust gets cleansed. It works well with the special kind of cleansing agent that has been made to clean the weapons," said Nanhe Khan.

Presently, about 120 antique war weapons kept in the Albert Hall in Jaipur are being cleansed. These weapons were damaged in an enormous flood in Jaipur in 1981.

"Earlier, there was one man employed to keep the antiquities clean. However, the task was too huge for a single man. Moreover, in 1981, a big flood damaged the antiquities to a large extent. They formed rust and were eroding," said Rakesh Cholak, Curator of Albert hall.

"Therefore, for the first time now, a panel of experts specialized in this field, has been called in from abroad to clean the weapons and help in preserving them. The work is going on very well," said Cholak. Some of the war antiquities preserved in Jaipur include swords embedded with precious stones, fencing swords, armour suits, shields, helmets, daggers and other antique weapons.

ANI