Barcha

A barcha, barsha or brchha is a type of lance with a wooden handle, once common in South Asia (the word itself is Hindi).

A skilled spearman (bhalaeet) could keep a heavily armed foot soldier at bay.

The illustrious use of this weapon is recorded in the last stages of Third Battle of Panipat by the Maratha general Sadashivrao Bhau.

Another version of this weapon is the ballam, a javelin effectively used to bring down infantry and cavalrymen at a distance.

[2] Nagini Barcha was identified as the weapon used by the Sikh warrior Bachittar Singh during the siege of Lohgarh.