Bheema Cup, 1903
Silver, possibly Indian European, made by P Q S, no hallmark, with pigs' tusk handles and three supporting legs in the form of pig's legs; inscribed, 'Presented by president Poona Hunt to the winner of the Bheema cup', 1903 (c).
Pig sticking, the hunting of wild pig by mounted spearmen, was a popular, exciting and sometimes dangerous pastime of British and Indian cavalrymen. According to the 1911 edition of the 'Encyclopedia Britannica', the Army believed the sport to be good training since 'a startled or angry wild boar is a desperate fighter [therefore] the pig-sticker must possess a good eye, a steady hand, a firm seat, a cool head and a courageous heart'. In India officers took part in pig-sticking events, the most famous of which was the Kadir Challenge Cup.
According to a note in 'Modern pig-sticking' by A E Wardrop, the Bheema Cup was held annually between 1881 and 1885, and once more in 1903. The competition took place at Jiti, on the Bheema (Bhima) River, near Diksal Station in Maharashtra. The competition was curtailed because of the lack of pigs due to famine.
NAM Accession Number
NAM. 1960-11-159-1
Copyright/Ownership
National Army Museum, London
Location
National Army Museum, Study collection
Object URL
https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=1960-11-159-1
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