South Indian Chillanum Dagger with silvered hilt 17th century

 A nice early South Indian dagger from the Deccan region, known to collectors as a ‘Chillanum’. All steel construction, the hilt beautifully shaped with with a dished handguard, and an integral knuckleguard, ball finial and ball shape to the centre grip, the lower portion with pierced section showing a lotus flower. The simply curved steel blade with gentle fullering. The hilt has most of its surviving silver covering in worn and fragile condition. This is an early dagger dating to the 16th or 17th century, many of similar form were captured at the siege of Adoni in 1689 and are now housed in Bikanir fort. A rare find. Indo Persian