Nizam’s sword likely to be put on display at Salar Jung Museum

The ceremonial sword or 'talwar' was one of the seven objects to be returned to India by Glasgow Life, which manages the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

Hyderabad: A 14th-century ceremonial sword, shaped like a serpent, which was reportedly sold or gifted by a top official of the sixth Nizam to a British army general more than 115 years ago, is set to return to India – possibly Hyderabad.

The ceremonial sword or talwar was one of the seven objects to be returned to India by Glasgow Life, which manages the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

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An agreement to this effect was signed between the Indian high commission in the UK with museum authorities on August 19. According to a report, it is the first repatriation to India from a United Kingdom museum.

A report from BBC states that the ceremonial sword was stolen in 1905 from the collection of the Nizam of Hyderabad and then sold it to British General Sir Archibald Hunter, Commander-in-Chief, who had close connections with the Nizams.

However, the acquisition document states the opposite. It says that the sword was purchased from the then Prime Minister of Hyderabad Maharaja Kishen Pershad. A report from the Glasgow museum suggests that the artifact was gifted to the gallery in 1978 by Sir Hunter’s nephew, Archibald Hunter Service.

Meanwhile, the director of Salar Jung Museum A. Nagender Reddy says there are possibilities of the sword arriving in Hyderabad since the city is its origin.

“We are ready to put the sword on display at the museum whenever it arrives,” he adds.

The sword is of Indo-Persian design and is shaped like a snake and has serrated edges and a damascene pattern, with gold etchings of an elephant and tiger that is dated circa 1350 CE.

According to the Glasgow museum documentation, the sword was exhibited by Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Nizam of Hyderabad (1896-1911) at the Imperial Durbar held in Delhi in 1903 for a ceremonial reception to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra as Emperor and Empress of India. And how it was later taken by Maharaja Kishen Pershad is still a question mark.