In 1972 H.H. Maharaja Gaj Singhji, of Jodhpur-Marwar began transforming the Rathore’s magnificent Mehrangarh Fort into an internationally acclaimed museum and cultural centre. As part of its ongoing efforts to document its collections and make them available to connoisseurs worldwide, the Mehrangarh Museum Trust commissioned the current book. The author discusses the worldwide medieval diffusion of firearms technology and Arab, Ottoman, European and Chinese influences on the development of Indian firearms. Jodhpur was one of the most important military states in Rajasthan, playing a major 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 owns the best Indian matchlocks in the subcontinent, much admired at the Delhi Durbar in 1911. Successive rulers have added to the collection, which includes modern British and American sporting guns and shotguns, revolvers and automatic pistols by many of the great makers of the twentieth century, collected by the current Maharaja’s grandfather and father. The Maharaja of Jodhpur’s Guns is the first book to be written specifically on historic Indian firearms. With more than 350 unique images of guns and paintings from private collections, this book offers scholars and collectors the opportunity to see the superb Jodhpur collection and to learn about Rajput traditions relating to hunting and war.
