There are conflicting reports of the time period in which the bagh nakh first appeared. Poisoned bagh nakh had been used by the
Rajput clans for assassinations. The most well-known usage of the weapon was by the first
Maratha emperor
Shivaji who used a
bichuwa and bagh nakh to kill the
Bijapur general
Afzal Khan. It is a popular weapon among the
Nihang Sikhs who wear it in their turbans and often hold one in their left hand while wielding a larger weapon such as a sword in the right hand. It is recommended that Nihang women carry a bagh nakh when going alone to dangerous areas. The Nihangs also have a number of traditional weapons one of them being the
Sher-Panja (literally - lion's paw) which is inspired by the bagh nakh. Instead of going in between the gaps in the fingers the Sher panja goes over the wrist and fingers and has claws coming out. While often associated with thieves and assassins, the bagh nakh was also used by wrestlers in a form of fighting called
naki ka kusti or "claw wrestling" which persisted even under British colonial rule. M. Rousselete, who visited Baroda in 1864, described "naki-ka-kausti" as one of the raja's favourite forms of entertainment. "The weapons, fitted into a kind of handle, were fastened by thongs to the closed right hand. The men, drunk with
bhang or Indian hemp, rushed upon each other and tore like
tigers at face and body; forehead-skins would hang like shreds; necks and ribs were laid open, and not infrequently one or both would bleed to death. The ruler's excitement on these occasions often grew to such a pitch that he could scarcely restrain himself from imitating the movements of the duellists." After the
Direct Action Day riots, the
Bengali Hindu girls, in order to defend themselves, began to wear a kind of sharp weapon resembling bagh nakh while going to school. In the Walt Disney movie,
Aladdin and the King of Thieves, the main movie's antagonist, Sa'luk, wields this kind of weapon, made of gold. == Variant construction ==