Inkwala: Classic Guns of the Raj by Ajay Singha

After he was appointed the heir presumptive to the British throne, the grandson of Queen Victoria, frequently visited Her Majesty’s domains on hunting and shooting excursions. He infused a fair amount of style, fashion, etiquette and fervour in these activities. The related brouhaha reached its’ zenith when he was declared King of England in 1910 and was fondly known as George Pancham (George V) to the people of the Indian sub-continent. Maharajas, Nawabs and the titled gentry of the Raj in India left no stone unturned to emulate his style and related paraphernalia. Shooting sports emerged as the favourite hobby of the high and mighty in the days of the Raj as it bore the stamp of imperial approval. In fact it constituted the very epitome of what the empire stood for and keenly perpetuated amongst the ruling classes of India.

For the ruling elite of the Indian sub-continent, importing high quality bespoke firearms from Great Britain gained popularity by 1900s. Never to miss an opportunity, British gunsmiths created fine pieces of sporting guns for sale at exorbitant prices to rich individuals, maharajas and the nobility. Custom made, individually crafted and highly decorated guns with personal names engraved were sought after. The ruling class during the days of the Raj were an adventurous lot, spending considerable time outdoors. They had to govern and rule over vast tracts of land and in the process had a good time, albeit at the cost of others. Shooting “game” had become ideally suited for people whose persona comprised of some western education, political and social influence and a good amount of money to spare. To go on “Shikar” and own high quality, made to order firearms became inextricably interwoven with the lifestyle of the power elite. Much like possessing a Rolls Royce, owning bespoke firearms and related accoutrements was now a distinguishing feature between the privileged, who hunted for pleasure and those who poached wild life for sustenance.

British manufacturers of bespoke firearms who supplied sporting guns for India’s elite in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries were James Purdy & Sons, Holland & Holland, Westley Richards, EJ Churchill, Boss & Co, John Rigby and WJ Jeffery. For big game hunting in India, British gun makers also developed exclusive calibres for India. Starting with black powder 500/450 Express in the initial years, followed by 375H&H, 416 Rigby, 275Jefferys, 30Super and the famous 577 Rewa named after a then incumbent Princely State. For small game and bird shooting which was plentiful across India, the popular choice was 12, 16 or 20 bore shotguns. All game birds were sought after but only on the wing. Shooting a sitting bird was now considered unsporting, frowned upon and seriously discouraged.

Sand grouse, teal, duck, partridge, quail were found in large numbers then and presented challenging targets on the wing. Thus arose the need to order a pair of guns so that precious time was not lost in reloading and gun bearers were trained to quickly hand over loaded guns to ensure uninterrupted shooting. Records of Imperial Sand Grouse shoots at Gajner in Bikaner and duck shooting in Bharatpur bear testimony to immensely large bags, as several VIP guns blazed in organised shoots. This was followed by elaborate al fresco lunches and photo sessions featuring the high and mighty of the Indian sub-continent. Very often the days’ bag comprised various species of game birds and hence the term “Mixed bag” became popular in the English language. In addition to pairs, those who could afford, used triplets of the same gun make. The Viceroy of India in 1880, Lord Ripon was recognised as the finest shot in the British Empire and the last word in shooting on the wing. He had an enviable record of shooting 556,500 game birds in his lifetime.

In big game shooting, to shoot a running animal during the course of a beat was considered fine sport, much like shooting only flying birds in small game. Beats or “haakas” were organised for this type of serious Shikar in Princely States of the Raj. A large group of villagers were ordered to walk through the forest beating drums and trumpets in an organised manner to move out the big game towards a pre-determined forest clearing. As the animals crossed a forest clearing bereft of trees and undergrowth at break neck speed they provided a sporting chance of a few seconds to big game enthusiasts. The shooter had to be a good shot with a rifle and very quick on the uptake or forego the chance till the next beat commenced. This unique feature gave rise to the manufacture of high quality double rifles which looked like shotguns but were in fact breech loading double barrelled rifles. Later bolt action rifles were added to the collections of discerning big game shooters. Tiger, Leopard, Bear, Stag, Wild boar and various antelopes were felled by these made to order rifles.

Each of these unique made to order guns of the Raj had a serial number and to this date the original owners of these priceless pieces can be traced. With heavy engravings, carvings, year of manufacture, name and title of the owner was prominently mentioned on the gun. Very often the metal engraver, himself an artist of repute, left his initials on the insides of the engraved side plates. A large part of the global business of these British gunsmiths was for the Indian ruling elite. Made from the finest gun metals available at that point in time, the guns were test fired and proofed by specialists who stamped each weapon individually. Safety and quality was paramount and therefore assured for the most discerning clientele. In the Princely States of Rajputana it appears that Bikaner had a liking for Holland & Holland (H&H) and was responsible for developing a hybrid called the “Paradox”. This was a 12 bore shotgun but could fire slugs for big game and bird shot when required. The last six inches on the fore end of the barrel had rifled grooves much like in a conventional rifle. The H&H Paradox were used for big game shooting by the Bikaner Royals and became a favourite topic of discussion at post Shikar celebrations across the Raj. A Paradox now owned by a friend, was kindly allowed to be used by me to get a taste from a bygone era when sporting guns, like clothes, were tailor made to fit individuals. The Maharaja of Alwar focussed mainly on Rifles from Westley Richards as big game was plenty in the State. Bharatpur was another aficionado for shotguns and the Maharaja had organised a duck shoot as late as 1961 for Prince Philip where a 20 bore pair made by James Purdy was used by my father who also attended the shoot. Much later, accompanying my father, we visited the Maharaja. He was kind enough to show us the same pair of 20 bore shot guns and allowed me to fire a few shots. The Maharaja of Kishangarh in addition to importing, also procured some of these fine guns from Bikaner State. There was hardly a Princely State with a gun salute or a famous person featuring in the Who’s Who of India 1942 (Imperial Publishing) who did not possess a bespoke firearm. The Maharaja of Jodhpur had a huge collection across all makes, brands and calibres as they were fond of both small and big game shooting.

Some of the owners developed a strong emotional bonding with a favourite weapon, an emotion which can be appreciated by present day gun aficionados. In 1948 when Pakistani tribesmen closed in on Srinagar, the Maharaja of Kashmir was advised to vacate his palace without much notice. Understandably only precious items and jewellery would be carried in such a situation but the Maharaja added his favourite pair of Purdy shotguns before commencing his journey.

People of our generation had the chance to experience the tail end of this unique phenomenon of the Raj which dominated the lives of the social and economic elite. The larger than life stories around hunting excursions, the great outdoors and the fine quality guns used, find some audience even today. I recall one such story recounted by an erstwhile noble. Villagers requested him to eliminate a leopard which frequently attacked their livestock. The young Prince ventured out to shoot the Leopard and selected his grandfather’s hammered 500 H&H for the task. He had never used it but had heard many a Shikar stories featuring this weapon. In the late evening when they were sitting near a goat-kill and were about to confront their quarry he tried loading the rifle only to realise that the cartridges he had brought along were marginally sleeker than the Chamber of the Rifle in hand. It struck him then that the cartridges belonged to his 375 H&H double rifle. Realising they were now unarmed and a dangerous quarry was lurking, he looked at his tribal hunting assistant who was armed with a catapult. The fellow was a great shot with his catapult and wasted no time in loading a round lead ball in his catapult. In a few moments the leopard approached, the assistant took careful aim and pulling the catapult to its’ full length, released the projectile to hit the leopard on his forehead. The leopard was stunned and was speared before it could regain consciousness. Later when they examined the skull of the leopard it was found that the metal projectile had cracked the skull and was lodged firmly in the brain. For several years the leopard skin and the projectile were proudly displayed in the palace and formed the topic of excited conversation over drinks. What the mighty Holland & Holland could not achieve was performed by a lowly catapult. I heard this story around 1970 on one such evening when accompanying my father for dinner to the Prince’s palace.

From the beginning of the 20^th century till Indian independence this great interest in made to order, high quality rifles and shotguns flourished. As the sun finally set on the Raj, the proverbial cat had vanished but the smile remained, at least for a while. Classic hobbies, interests and past times including sporting guns continued among the social elite for some more decades. The death knell for these and related interest was finally sounded by the unceremonious removal of the privy purses of the Indian Princes in 1971. The famed British manufacturers of these exclusive weapons started visiting India to buy back most of these exclusive guns. They were purchased for meagre amounts of money, reconditioned in England and marketed, like a piece of Indian history, to rich buyers in the Middle East, USA and Europe. Subsequent enactments of laws and rules by the Indian government ensured that this last vestige of the Raj was completely obliterated for all times to come and another fine and glorious Indian heritage was consigned to the dustbin of history.