Room of Indian Arms and Applied Art

The display in this room is an introduction to one of the world's best collections of Indian arms. The majority of the items were made from Damask steel, which was invented in India. In the display-cases you can see ritual axes used for making sacrifices, great swords for fighting on elephant-back, shields made of steel and rhinoceros hide and guns decorated with ornamental painting. Chakras - missile battle disks decorated with an inscription extolling the righteous of the Sikh religion - have no parallels in other countries. A unique exhibit is a full set of dress armour that belonged to a noble Rajput warrior. Interesting too are the carved ivory powder-horns and everyday metal items (Bidri ware).