Forearm guard (bajuband)

Among the pieces of armor worn by a South Asian warrior was a forearm guard. His elbow would have rested in the large curved end of this example while his wrist protruded from between the hinged plates at the opposite end. Small holes around the wrist opening were used to fasten an additional protective cover of chain mail for the wrist and hand. The high quality of the forearm guard and its elaborate decoration indicate elite ownership. That it was not purely ceremonial, however, is suggested by a steel plate that lies beneath the gilded one.