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#1
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Indian Night Watchman's belt buckle
Worn by the night watchman in the village of Uldan, near Jhansi, United Provinces pre independence.
It has been cleaned as it was in a distressed condition |
#2
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Nice one Simon!
The village chowkidar acted as a quasi-constable and kept an eye on comings and goings, strangers, crimes, voilent affrays etc and reported to the daroga or thanedar who headed the local police station in a given area of a few miles.. often they were petty criminals themselves and not entirely trustworthy ..their reports were usually to be taken with a generous mouthful of salt and its veracity depended on the quantity of silver that crossed his palm. |
#3
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From Life in the Indian Police by C E Gouldsbury
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#4
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Sunil,
many thanks for the interesting additional information. I bought the belt plate in Jhansi many years ago. It is a very interesting place, full of history. I was particularly amused by the tableaux outside the Fort which showed how the Fort fell to the British by dastardly underhand means. I may post some pictures if I can locate them. Simon |
#5
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Yes, please post the photos if you find them. Jhansi is one place on my to-do list. There is a bastion in the fort from which the ranee's horse is supposed to have jumped but which is all bunkum I think as the poor creature would have broken his legs! I plan to do the whole Mutiny cities circuit ...some day...
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#6
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These are photographs of the Jhansi Fortress. The German machine gun was captured on the Western Front during the Great War.
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#7
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This is part of the tableaux outside the Fort. I particularly like the dastardly British officer giving the bag of gold to the mutineer/freedom fighter, as the story goes that the fortress only fell to the British because a defender was bribed. I am not sure which is the more treacherous, offering a bribe or taking one.
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#8
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Here is the Lady herself. Laxml Bai, the Rani of Jhansi. Looking at the base of the statue, I must have taken the photographs in 1997 or perhaps 1998.
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#9
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They both look quite dastardly enough to be capable of anything. Or am I projecting?
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