Forged in Fire: The Sikligars and the East-West Evolution of Arms and Armours

The Sikligar community of Rajasthan in India, historically renowned for crafting and maintaining arms and armor, embodies a legacy of transcultural exchange between Asia and Europe. From Mughal patronage to colonial encounters, their techniques such as metal polishing, inlay work, and embellishment has evolved through cross-cultural interactions. This paper situates Sikligar craftsmanship within global material history, tracing its artistic and technological evolution.

Once indispensable to Rajput courts, the Sikligars now occupy a precarious position due to colonization, industrialization, and socio-political marginalization. Their craft still persists in many cities of Rajasthan like Jaipur, Sirohi, Udaipur, and Pushkar, where artisans struggle between cultural continuity and economic survival. This study, based on ethnographic research and field documentation, examines their adaptive strategies in different urban contexts: Jaipur’s Sikligars maintain museum collections yet remain underrecognized; Udaipur’s artisans sustain family businesses; Sirohi remains a hub for sword-making; and Pushkar’s craftspeople navigate a religion-driven economy that shapes production and consumer engagement.

By framing Sikligar techniques within heritage studies, this research interrogates how traditional artisanship intersects with economic and social transformation. It explores the role of museums and heritage tourism in sustaining endangered crafts while challenging Eurocentric narratives of arms display and interpretation.

Sakshi Jain is a cultural researcher, museologist, and artist from India currently pursuing an Erasmus Mundus MA in Managing Art and Cultural Heritage in Global Markets across Glasgow, Lisbon, Paris, and Rotterdam. Her diverse experiences include curatorial roles at the MSMS II Museum and Gyan Museum in India, alongside international conference presentations at Qatar Museums, TU Dresden, ICOM, etc. A recipient of multiple awards, including June Cockburn Award, ICOFOM Young Scholars Grant, Beatrix Whistler and James McNeill Whistler Scholarship (twice), and supported by the Turing Scheme for her upcoming Museum of Fine Arts Houston internship, Sakshi’s work explores the dynamic relationship between cultural heritage, cultural economics, and museum innovation.