Subject: velichapāḍu priest / medium
Culture: Nayar/Malayali
Setting: temple divination, Malabar/Kerala 18thc and later
Object: nandaka sword
Higgins Armory Museum > Scimitars to Samurai - Weapons around the World *
"'Nandaka' (sword of Vishnu), perhaps 1600s Nayar (Nair) caste,
Kerala, southern India Steel; silver; iron Weight: 1 lb. 14 oz. ..."
Royal Armouries Museum > Oriental Gallery *
"Sword South Indian, 18th century The old Hindu basket hilt,
as well as the forward-curved sword blade, survived in the south of India until the 19th century,
having become extinct in the north with the establishment of the Muslim kingdoms." ...
