The ‘Indian Archery’, the most original and pioneering work, is the outcome of eighteen years of dedicated research of the author. Based on the first-hand knowledge of the bows, arrows, quivers, etc.. preserved in the different museums, private collections, armouries of the erst-white princes. Ordnance Depots and police headquarters, this monograph deals with almost every aspect of Indian Archery worth knowing. Pre-and-protohistoric archery, as revealed through the archaeological excavations, and of the historical period, as gathered from the literary, numismatic, epigraphic and sculptural sources and that illustrated in miniature and wall paintings and painted manuscripts, has been fully exploited. The different shapes of bows and arrows to gether with the material, technique, modes of operation, decoration applied to them and bowyers have been discussed in detail. Quiver and its counterparts jaibah, saghdaq and qirban; arrow-head-extractor and arrow-puller; gosha’gir and kardang: nalika, arrowguide and nao, shooting-glove and bracer, tip and tab and other accoutrements of Indian Archery have been given their legitimate place. Archery as a pastime, the games associated with it and its present status in India are a few other aspects which have been taken into account. Profusely illustrated with 400 line drawings and 110 plates, all authentic and accurate, the treatise has emerged as a comprehensive reference work.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR G.N. Pant
Born in 1940 at Singahi (Lakhimpur Kheri, UP.), Dr. Gayatri Nath Pant had a distinguished career. After passing his M.A. and B.Ed. examinations from Lucknow University, he obtained his doctorate on 'Ancient Indian Arms' from Sagaur University and D.Litt. from University of Magadh. His proficiency in Sanskrit enabled him to study classical literature. He has 250 research papers to his credit. Dr. Pant's first book Indian Weapons was published in 1966 and the second, Studies in the Defence History-a Bibliography in 1970. The gigantic work, Studies in Indian Weapons and Warfare, published in 1970, fetched him the President of India's acclaim and his Bharatiya Astra-shstra won for him 'Acharya Narendra Dev Special Award' His other notable publications are : Indian Arms and Armour in three volumes, Indian Archery (1980), Catalogue of Arms in the Junagadh Museum, Gujarat (1984), Mughal Weapons in the Babur-nama (1989), Catalogue of Edged Arms in the Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad (1989), etc. A number of monographs are in press. Dr. Pant has prepared half a dozen catalogues of arms and armour' and has studied the collection of almost all the Indian museums. He has. travelled erstwhile U.S.S.R, U.K., Germany, France, Netherlands.U.S.A., Africa. etc., and studied the oriental arms preserved there. Dr. Pant is the member of 'Archer Antiquaries', London; 'Arms and Armour Society' ,London; 'Rifle. Association of India' ,New Delhi, etc. executive member of the 'International Council of Museums', Paris, and Editor, Journal of Indian Museums. He is adviser' to the Archaeological Survey of India and the Ministry of Defence on all the matters pertaining to oldarms and annour. He has been elected Fellow of Royal Asiatic Society (FRAS), London, and Fellow of the Educational Consultants of Oxford Ltd. (U.S.A.). At present Dr. Pant is the Director/Pro- Vice-Chancellor of the National Museum Institute (Deemed University.
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