Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Dhal (shield)

The dhal is a type of buckler or shield found in the Indian subcontinent. They are nearly always geometrically round, and they vary in diameter from about 8 inches (20 cm) to 24 inches (61 cm). Some are nearly flat while others are strongly convex or curved. The edges may be flat or rolled back in the reverse direction to that of the curvature of the shield. Dhal shields were either made from metal or hide.

Last revised
Jul 16, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Dhal (shield), from North India, Mughal period, 17th century, made of steel, gold, silk, leather, at the Royal Ontario Museum. source ↗

The dhal is a type of buckler or shield found in the Indian subcontinent.1 They are nearly always geometrically round, and they vary in diameter from about 8 inches (20 cm) to 24 inches (61 cm). Some are nearly flat while others are strongly convex or curved.2 The edges may be flat or rolled back in the reverse direction to that of the curvature of the shield. Dhal shields were either made from metal or hide.3

Materials

Leather shields were made from a great variety of animals found in the Indian subcontinent. The hide shields were made from either water buffalo, sambar deer, Indian elephant, or Indian rhinoceros. The rhinoceros shields were the most-prized variant among leather shields.4

Antique Islamic dhal at the Metropolitan Museum of Art source ↗
References

References

  1. Sristidhar Dutta; Byomakesh Tripathy (2006). Martial Traditions of North East India. Concept Publishing Company. pp. 97–. ISBN 978-81-8069-335-9.
  2. Cameron Stone, George (1961). A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times Together with Some Closely Related Subjects. Jack Brussel. p. 206.
  3. DK (2011). DK Eyewitness Books: Arms and Armor: Discover the Story of Weapons and Armor—from Stone Age Axes to the Battle Gear of the Samurai. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-7566-8951-3.
  4. Ciuk, Krzysztof; Woodward, Susan. "Shields of dreams: Mughal dhals sport "designer label" rhino". ROM: Magazine of the Royal Ontario Museum; Toronto. 34: 5.
External links