Know about Nepali khukari in detail

"Khukuri" redirects here. For the genus of snake, see Oligodon

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For the sports brand, see Khukuri Sports.

The kukri (Nepali: खुकुरी khukuri) is a Nepalese knife with an inwardly curved blade, similar to a machete, used as both a tool and as a weapon in Nepal and some neighbouring countries of South Asia. Traditionally it was, and in many cases still is, the basic utility knife of the Nepalese people. It is a characteristic weapon of the Nepalese Army, the Royal Gurkha Riflesof the British army, the Assam Rifles, and Gorkha Regiments (India) of the Indian Army, and of all Gurkha regiments throughout the world, so much so that some English-speakers refer to the weapon as a "Gurkha blade" or "Gurkha knife". The kukri often appears in Nepalese heraldry and is used in many traditional rituals such as wedding ceremonies.

"Kukri" is misspelled from the original Nepalese words like of "khukuri", "khukri", and "kukkri".

Contents

   

•    1History
•    2Design
•    3Manufacture
•    4Uses
  • 4.1Weaponry
  • 4.2Utility
•    5Anatomy
  • 5.1Blade
  • 5.2Scabbard
•    6Classification
•    7See also
•    8References

History

Balbhadra Kunwar, Gurkhacommander during the Battle of Nalapani(1814), part of the Gurkha War, armed with a kukri in his left hand

While some western authors conjecture that the kukri was based on similar European weapons and brought to South Asia by Alexander the Great, researchers give it a much longer history tracing back to the domestic sickle and the prehistoric bent stick used for hunting and later in hand-to-hand combat.^[1] Richard F. Burton ascribes this semi-convergent independent origin to weapons from several regions such as the Greek kopis, the Egyptian khopesh, the Iberian falcata, the Illyrian sica, the Dacian falx, and the Australian tombat. In India, it has also been hypothesized that the kukri was the origin of the kopis, rather than vice versa. Similar instruments have existed in several forms throughout South Asia and were used both as weapons and as tools, such as for sacrificial rituals. Burton (1884) writes that the British Museum housed a large kukri-like ancient Nepal falchion inscribed with Pali characters. Among the oldest existing kukri are those belonging to Drabya Shah (circa 1559), housed in the National Museum of Nepal in Kathmandu.

The kukri came to be known to the Western world when the East India Company came into conflict with the growing Gorkha Kingdom, culminating in the Gurkha War of 1814–1816. It gained literary attention in the 1897 novel Dracula by Irish author Bram Stoker. Despite the popular image of Dracula having a stake driven through his heart at the conclusion of a climactic battle between Dracula's bodyguards and the heroes, Mina's narrative describes his throat being sliced through by Jonathan Harker's kukri and his heart pierced by Quincey Morris's Bowie knife.

All Gurkha troops are issued with two kukri, a Service No.1 (ceremonial) and a Service No.2 (exercise); in modern times members of the Brigade of Gurkhas receive training in its use. The weapon gained fame in the Gurkha War and its continued use through both World War I and World War II enhanced its reputation among both Allied troops and enemy forces. Its acclaim was demonstrated in North Africa by one unit's situation report. It reads: "Enemy losses: ten killed, ours nil. Ammunition expenditure nil."^[3] Elsewhere during the Second World War, the kukri was purchased and used by other British, Commonwealth and US troops training in India, including the Chindits and Merrill's Marauders.The notion of the Gurkha with his kukri carried on through to the Falklands War.

On 2 September 2010, Bishnu Shrestha, a retired Indian Army Gurkha soldier, alone and armed only with a kukri, defeated 40 bandits who attacked a passenger train he was on in India. He was reported to have killed three of the bandits, wounded eight more and forced the rest of the band to flee.^[4] A contemporaneous report in the Times of India, that includes an interview with Shrestha, indicates he was less successful.^[5]

Design

The two smaller blades are used for sharpening and maintaining the kukri

The kukri is designed primarily for chopping. The shape varies a great deal from being quite straight to highly curved with angled or smooth spines. There are substantial variations in dimensions and blade thickness depending on intended tasks as well as the region of origin and the smith that produced it. As a general guide the spines vary from 5–10 mm at the handle, and can taper to 2 mm by the point while the blade lengths can vary from 26–38 cm for general use.

A kukri designed for general purpose is commonly 40–45 cm (16–18 in) in overall length and weighs approximately 450–900 grams (1–2 lbs). Larger examples are impractical for everyday use and are rarely found except in collections or as ceremonial weapons. Smaller ones are of more limited utility, but very easy to carry.

Another factor that affects its weight and balance is the construction of the blade. To reduce weight while keeping strength the blade might be hollow forged, or a fuller is created. Kukris are made with several different types of fuller including: tin chira (triple fuller), dui chira(double fuller), angkhola (single fuller), or basic non-tapered spines with a large beveled edge.

Kukri blades usually have a notch (karda, kauda, kaudi, kaura, or cho) at the base of the blade. Various reasons are given for this, both practical and ceremonial: that it makes blood and sap drop off the blade rather than running onto the handle; that it delineates the end of the blade whilst sharpening; that it is a symbol representing a cows' foot, or Shiva. The notch may also represent the teats of a cow, a reminder that the kukri should not be used to kill a cow, an animal revered and worshiped by Hindus.

The handles are most often made of hardwood or water buffalo horn, but ivory, bone, and metal handles have also been produced. The handle quite often has a flared butt that allows better retention in draw cuts and chopping. Most handles have metal bolsters and butt plates which are generally made of brass or steel.

The traditional handle attachment in Nepal is the partial tang, although the more modern versions have the stick tang which has become popular. The full tang is mainly used on some military models, but has not caught-on in Nepal itself.

The kukri typically comes in either a decorated wooden scabbard or one which is wrapped in leather. Traditionally, the scabbard also holds two smaller blades: an unsharpenedchakmak to burnish the blade, and another accessory blade called a karda. Some older style scabbards include a pouch for carrying flint or dry tinder.

Manufacture

A Gurkha officer of the Gurkha Contingent, Singapore Police Forcepatrols around Raffles City during the 117th IOC Session. He wears the distinctively tilted Hat Terrai Gurkha, the kukri can be seen attached to the back of his belt

The Biswakarma Kami (caste) are the traditional inheritors of the art of kukri-making.Modern kukri blades are often forged from spring steel, sometimes collected from recycled truck suspension units.The tang of the blade usually extends all the way through to the end of the handle; the small portion of the tang that projects through the end of the handle is hammered flat to secure the blade. Kukri blades have a hard, tempered edge and a softer spine. This enables them to maintain a sharp edge, yet tolerate impacts.

Kukri handles, usually made from hardwood or buffalo horn, are often fastened with a kind of tree sap called laha (also known as "Himalayan epoxy"). With a wood or horn handle, the tang may be heated and burned into the handle to ensure a tight fit, since only the section of handle which touches the blade is burned away. In more modern kukri, handles of cast aluminium or brass are press-fitted to the tang; as the hot metal cools it shrinks and hardens, locking onto the blade. Some kukri (such as the ones made by contractors for the modern Indian Army), have a very wide tang with handle slabs fastened on by two or more rivets, commonly called a full tang (panawal) configuration.

Traditional profiling of the blade edge is performed by a two-man team; one spins a grinding wheel forwards and backwards by means of a rope wound several times around an axle while the sharpener applies the blade. The wheel is made by hand from fine river sand bound bylaha, the same adhesive used to affix the handle to the blade. Routine sharpening is traditionally accomplished by passing a chakmak over the edge in a manner similar to that used by chefs to steel their knives.

Kukri scabbards are usually made of wood or metal with an animal skin or metal or wood covering. The leather work is often done by a Sarki.

Uses

Gurkhas at kit inspection showing kukri in France during World War I

Weaponry

The kukri is effective as a chopping and slashing weapon. Because the blade bends towards the opponent, the user need not angle the wrist while executing a chopping motion. Unlike a straight-edged sword, the center of mass combined with the angle of the blade allow the kukri to slice as it chops. 

The edge slides across the target's surface while the center of mass maintains momentum as the blade moving through the target's cross-section. This gives the kukri a penetrative force disproportional to its length. The design enables the user to inflict deep wounds and to penetrate bone. This has been proven over and over in battlefields where Gurkhas chopped the heads of the enemy off in one smooth slice.

In India the kukri sometimes incorporates a Mughal-style hilt in the fashion of the talwar, but the plainer traditional form is preferred in Nepal.

Utility

While most famed from use in the military, the kukri is the most commonly used multipurpose tool in the fields and homes in Nepal. Its use has varied from building, clearing, chopping firewood, digging, slaughtering animals for food, cutting meat and vegetables, skinning animals, and opening cans. Its use as a general farm and household tool disproves the often stated "taboo" that the weapon cannot be sheathed "until it has drawn blood".

The kukri is versatile. It can function as a smaller knife by using the narrower part of the blade, closest to the handle. The heavier and wider end of the blade, towards the tip, functions as an axe or a small shovel.

Anatomy

Blade

• Keeper (Hira Jornu): Spade/Diamond shaped metal/brass plate used to seal the butt cap.
• Butt Cap (Chapri): Thick metal/brass plate used to secure the handle to the tang.
• Tang (Paro): Rear piece of the blade that goes through the handle.
• Bolster (Kanjo): Thick metal/brass round shaped plate between blade and handle made to support and reinforce the fixture.
• Spine (Beet): Thickest blunt edge of the blade.
• Fuller/Groove (Khol): Straight groove or deep line that runs along part of the upper spine.
• Peak (Juro): Highest point of the blade.
• Main body (Ang): Main surface or panel of the blade.
• Fuller (Chirra): Curvature/Hump in the blade made to absorb impact and to reduce unnecessary weight.
• Tip (Toppa): Starting point of the blade.
• Edge (Dhaar): Sharp edge of the blade.
• Belly (Bhundi): Widest part/area of the blade.
• Bevel (Patti): Slope from the main body until the sharp edge.
• Notch (Cho): A distinctive cut (numeric '3 '-like shape) in the edge functions as a blood dropper and has other uses.
• Ricasso (Ghari): Blunt area between notch and bolster.
• Rings (Harhari): Round circles in the handle.
• Rivet (Khil): Steel or metal bolt to fasten or secure tang to the handle.
• Tang Tail (Puchchar): Last point of the kukri blade.

Scabbard

• Frog (Faras): Belt holder specially made of thick leather (2 mm to 4 mm) encircling the scabbard close towards the throat.
• Upper Edge (Mathillo Bhaag): Spine of the scabbard where holding should be done when handling a kukri.
• Lace (Tuna): A leather cord used to sew or attach two ends of the frog. Especially used in army types.
• Main Body (Sharir): The main body or surface of the scabbard. Generally made in semi oval shape.
• Chape (Khothi): Pointed metallic tip of the scabbard. Used to protect the naked tip of a scabbard.
• Loop (Golie): Round leather room/space where a belt goes through attached/fixed to the keeper with steel rivets.
• Throat (Mauri): Entrance towards the interior of the scabbard for the blade.
• Strap/Ridge (Bhunti): Thick raw leather encircling the scabbard made to create a hump to secure the frog from moving or wobbling (not available in this pic).
• Lower Edge (Tallo Bhag): Belly/curvature of the scabbard.

Classification

Kukris can be broadly classified into two types: Eastern and Western. The Eastern blades are usually regarded as the thinner and are often referred to as Sirupate (Siru leaf). Western blades are generally more broad. Occasionally the Western style is called Budhuna, (referring to a fish with a large head), or baspate (bamboo leaf) which refers to blades just outside the proportions of the normal Sirupate blade. Despite the classification of Eastern and Western, both styles of kukri appear to be used in all areas of Nepal.

See also

• Parang (knife)
• Falcata
• Khopesh
• Kopis

References

1. 
   Jump up Richard Francis Burton (1987). The Book Of The Sword. London, England: Dover. ISBN 0-486-25434-8.
2. Jump up Stoker, Dacre and Ian Holt. Dracula the Un-Dead. Penguin group, 2009. Page 306.
3. Jump upReagan, Geoffrey. Military Anecdotes (1992) p. 180, Guinness Publishing ISBN 0-85112-519-0
4. Jump up "Lone Nepali Gorkha who subdued 40 train robbers", Republica, 13 Jan 2011
5. Jump up^ "Soldier takes on dacoits on train", Times of India, 4 Sep 2010
6. Jump upWooldridge, Ian (20 November 1989). "Episode 3". In the Highest Tradition. Event occurs at 13 minutes 25 seconds. BBC. BBC Two. Retrieved 8 August 2013. Here if I may describe, you see a little pattern there, which some people say that it has got some religious significance, but I doubt very much. In fact, that is just so that when you have blood on the kukri, it just sort of naturally drips there, it doesn't get onto your hand and starts clogging up and that is what it is for, that little nick there.
7. ^ Jump up to:Welcome to the world of the Nepalese Kami"

   Others Some history of the khukuriThe khukuri, the national knife of Nepal, is an ancient blade-form: khukuris of five hundred years or more hang from the walls of Nepal's National Museum, dating back to the Malla period. Some have suggested that khukuri design is linked to the ancient Greek kopis knife and that the form was introduced into the Indian subcontinent by Alexander's Macedonian army, which invaded north-west India in the 4th-century B.C. If so, then the khukuri is perhaps also linked to the ancient Egyptian kopesh blade, likely the model for the Greek kopis, as well as to the Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian seax. However, it is also possible that the khukuri is simply a design native to the hills of the Himalayas, perhaps originating from an agricultural tool (as which it continues to serve to the present day). This seems to be the view of Lord Egerton of Tatton, who writes: '[the Gurkhas'] national weapon is the Kukri , originally a kind of bill-hook, for cutting through small wood in the dense low jungles of the Teraí and the Himalayans' (pg. 100). The Nepalese also use a larger knife, or sword, called a kora, which also has an inner cutting edge like the khukuri. The blades of koras show an expansion near the point, weighting the tip to provide a more powerful downward blow. Koras are generally ceremonial, and as Egerton remarks, 'those who use it skilfully are enabled to cut a sheep in two at a single blow' ( ibid. ). Rawson, in The Indian Sword, writes: 'The direct ancestor of the Kukri was no doubt the sword with a Kopis blade, but in the blades of certain Kukris it is clear that the conception of the forward angled blade, not the pure Kopis, underlies the form [see below picture 'Kopis-blade forms of the Indian subcontinent']. It is probable that the forward-angled form [which includes the indigenous Nepalese Kora] represents the oldest stratum over which the Rajput Kopis-bladed sword was superimposed' (pg. 52). **** The Gurkhas, more than anything else, have brought the khukuri to the attention of the world. For centuries this blade-form lay dormant in the world, being kept alive only in India and Nepal. And then the Gurkhas appeared on the world scene a couple of hundred years ago and brought with them their traditional weapon, thekhukuri. Because the Gurkhas were probably the best mercenary force the world has ever seen--and may ever see--part of their fame became the fame of the khukuri. The word 'Gurkha' originates from King Prithvi Narayan Shah's 'Gorkhali' army (from the area of Gorkha, Nepal-northwest of Kathmandu), with whose help the King united Nepal into a single country between 1768-9 A.D. Nepal's present King, HM King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, descends from Prithvi Naryan Shah.Gorkha was feudal hill village in what is now western Nepal, however the 'Gorkhali' under Prithwi Narayan Shah and his successors grew so powerful that they overran the whole of the hill country from the Kashmir border in the west to kingdom of Bhutan in the east.  Eventually, as a result of boundary disputes and repeated raids by Gurkha columns into British East India Company territory, the British Governor General declared war on Nepal in 1814.  After two long and bloody campaigns a Peace Treaty was signed at Sugauli in 1816.  During the war a deep feeling of mutual respect and admiration developed between the British and the Gurkhas, both sides being much impressed by the bravery, courage and decency of the other. Six hundred Gorkhas at Dehra Dun successfully held the fort of Kalanga against an English force of about 3500 under General Gillespie until the battering train was brought from Delhi; at the stockade at Tamta, the Gorkhas fought effectively with koras, described by the opposing British as being 'like the Highlanders of old, after discharging their matchlocks, rush[ing] in fierce through disorderly masses upon their opponents' (Mill, pg. 25). In the extremely bitter defence of the hill fortress of Kalunga the Gorkhas lost 520 out of 600 defenders but they fought so bravely and so well and the losses they inflicted on the British were so staggering it inspired the British to erect a stone battle monument at Kalunga inscribed with the words:  THEY FOUGHT IN THEIR CONFLICT LIKE MEN AND, IN THE INTERVALS OF ACTUAL CONFLICT, SHOWED US A LIBERAL COURTESY. The Gorkhas too were impressed by their erstwhile enemy, the British. Lieutenant Frederick Young leading a party of irregulars was surprised by a force of Gorkhas. The irregulars, upon seeing the khukuri-wielding Gorkha force, ran away, leaving the British officers to face the Gorkhas alone. The ensuing battle was brief, but the British fought hard to hold their ground until finally being forced to surrender. According to legend, when asked why he had not fled as well, Young replied, 'I have not come so far to run away. I came to stay.' And stay he did. For about a year the Gorkhas held Young captive but during this year the Gorkhas developed a sincere and deep respect for Young and the British fighting spirit which much resembled their own. And, indeed, it was Young himself who was able to recruit the first Gorkhas to serve under the British flag -- 3,000 Gorkhas divided into four battalions. Young went on to serve as the commander of the Sirmoor Battalion of Gurkhas for 28 years and, amazingly, was able to report his battalion service ready after only six months.Under the terms of the Peace Treaty large numbers of Gurkhas were permitted to volunteer for service in the East India Company's Army.  From these volunteers were formed the first regiments of the Gurkha Brigade, and the basis of Britain's friendship with Nepal, which has continued to this day. These were the first Gorkhas, fighting men from the mountain kingdom of Nepal -- Rai, Magar, Limbu, Gurung and Sunwar tribesmen. Small of stature, large of heart, accustomed to hardship, good natured with a keen sense of humour, loyal to death, more disciplined than any fighting force in the world, brave and capable, and absolutely without fear. And the khukuri has always formed part of the gear of the Gurkha soldier--the 'kookrie' is mentioned as being an 'official piece of equipment' as early as 1837. The mere sight of these small hillmen with their distinctive blades has more than once put an enemy to flight and quelled riots without bloodshed. ***** The khukuri however is far more than just a jawan's weapon :- in the hands of Nepal's large rural population the khukuri is a knife-of-all-work, serving to chop wood, slice vegetables, skin animals, cut grass and is also used in Hindu religious ceremonies. And almost everything about the khukuri means something: What we call a 'blood-gutter'* is called the aunlo bal (meaning 'finger of strength'). The notch near the hilt, called a cho or a kauro (Turner [2740]), has various meanings: the sun and moon (symbols of Nepal), the sexual organs of Hindu gods and goddesses, a cow track (the cow being sacred to the Hindus). Rawson writes of the cho : '[t]he root of the edge of a Kukri blade contains a semicircular nick about three-quarters of an inch deep, generally with a tooth at the bottom, which like the lotus [often stamped] on the blade of the Kora, the Gurkhas say represents the female generative organ, intended presumably to render the blade "effective"' (pg. 54) [in this connexion it is also interesting to note that Shivaji, the 17th-c. Marathi 'rebel' against the Mughals, named his sword 'Bhavani', one of the names of the goddess (see Rawson, pg.89 n.80)]. The buttcap of the knife is said to resemble the eye of god - always watching, ever seeing. The rings around the handle also mean something though their true significance has been lost in the mists of time. Even the basic curve is said to look like a crescent moon, a symbol of Nepal.  Colonel Kirkpatrick, said to have been the first Englishman to visit Nepal in 1793, wrote in praise of the khukuri: 'It is in felling small trees or shrubs, and lopping the branches of others for this purpose, that the dagger, or knife worn by every Nepaulian, and called Khookheri [sic], is chiefly employed; it is also of very great use, as I repeatedly experienced, in clearing away the road when obstructed by the low hanging boughs of trees, and other similar impediments' (Kirkpatrick, pg. 118). Indeed, the khukuri is a superior blade, both as a combat weapon and as a tool. The unique shape of the khukuri makes it excellent both for chopping wood and for hacking through dense jungles and forests - serving as a combination of an axe and a machete - and anything else requiring a good knife. This makes it a particularly ideal item for the outdoorsman, hunter, hiker or explorer--or anyone who needs a rugged multi-functional blade. References (1) Lord Egerton of Tatton. A Description of Indian and Oriental Armour: illustrated from the collection formerly kept in the India Office, now exhibited at South Kensington, and the author's private collection. London: W.H. Allen & co., Ltd., 1896. reprinted, New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 2001. (2) Hamilton, Francis Buchanan. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, and of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha. Edinburgh: Archibald Hamilton, 1819. reprinted, New Delhi: Asian Educational Service, 1986. (3) Kirkpatrick, Col. William. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul, being the Substance of Observations made During a Mission to that Country, in the Year 1793. London: William Miller, 1811. reprinted, New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 1996. (4) Krauskopff, Gisèle and Pamela Deuel Meyer (eds.) with Tek Bahadur Shrestha, Kurt Meyer & Tej Panjiar. The Kings of Nepal & the Tharu of the Tarai. Los Angeles: rusca Press & Kirtipur (Nepal): Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, 2000. (5) Landon, Perceval. History of Nepal. 2 vols. London: Constable & Co., Ltd., 1923. reprinted, Delhi: Adarsh Enterprises, 2001. (6) Mill, James. History of British India. vol. VIII. London: Baldwin, Cradock, Joy, 1820. (7) Oakeshott, R. Ewart. The Archaeology of Weapons: arms and armor from Prehistory to the Age of Chivalry. London: Lutterworth Press, 1960. rev. ed., New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1994. (8) Paul, E. Jaiwant. 'By My Sword and Shield': traditional weapons of the Indian warrior. New Delhi: Lotus [Roli Books], 1995. (9) Prithvinarayan Shah. Dibya Upadesh. Yogi Narhari Nath, ed. Kathmandu, 2016 B.S. (10) Powell, John. From Khookree to Kukri (and all the spellings in-between). In Progress/Not Yet Published ( preview here ). (11) Rawson, Philip S. The Indian Sword. London: Herbert Jenkins, 1968. (12) Stiller, Ludwig F., S.J. The Rise of the House of Gorkha: a study in the unification of Nepal 1768-1816. Kathmandu: Patna Jesuit Society, 1973. (13) Stone, George Cameron. 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. Portland (Maine): Southworth Press, 1934. [reprinted, New York: Dover Publishing, 1999] (14) Thapa, Netra Bahadur. A Short History of Nepal. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 1967 [3rd. ed.] (15) Tucci, Giuseppe. Nepal: the discovery of the Malla. Lovett Edwards, trans. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1962. [trans. from the Italian Nepal: alla scoperta dei Malla. Bari: Leonardo da Vinci Editrice, 1960]. (16) Turner, Sir Ralph Lilley. A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages. 4 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1969 [1966-1985]. reprinted, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999.

   
   
   'Kopis'-blade forms of the Indian subcontinent
   
   adapted from Rawson (pp. 68-9):'The term Kopis has here been adopted to designate a blade form which is found in many parts of the world. It has a narrow section near the root, above which the blade broadens and curves forward, attaining its greatest width near the tip, and then slightly recurves and runs to a point. The term was adopted by Lane-Fox, afterwards Pitt-Rivers, from the Greek. Swords of this type are found as 'Kopis' on Greek vase paintings...both the word and the type are Egyptian...the classification ['Kopis'] covers the Turkish and Balkan Yataghan , the [Nepalese] Kukri, the [Indian] Sosun Pattah, and the South Indian flamboyant sword. Blades of pure Kopis form appear in India in the sixth century, at Ajanta, and persist into modern times. Their purity renders it probable that they were imitated directly from a Roman prototype, since we know that Roman influence was very strong in the Deccan [the northern part of South India] in the early centuries A.D., and there is no evidence to support a supposition of direct imitation from Greek instances.' (Rawson, pg. 67)
    [This last statement, concerning a Roman prototype for India, I cannot give credence to, since the Greeks had a long presence in the northwest of ancient India. The Greek leader, Alexander the Great, crossed the river Indus with his army in 326 B.C., invading the area of the Punjab. And even at this time, he found Greek settlements already established in this part of India. The Greeks have long been known to the Indians, called in Sanskrit Yavana (based on the Greek Ionian ). --B.Slade]
   
   'At Harasnath [in Rajasthan]...appears a relief showing a group of sword of the greatest interest...their blades are angled sharply forward. The edge has a long concave curve recurving slightly at the tip, but the reverse edge shows a clear forward angle with a small ear at the apex. This weapon is no doubt of a Southern type, also anciently indigenous in Eastern India [and Nepal]....this forward-angled sword is the ancestor of some of the weapons used in Northern India by Rajputs in modern times, such as the Sosun Pattah [Persian and Urdu word meaning 'lily leaf' ] and the Nepalese Kukri, as well as of some of the swords in use with more primitive peoples, such as the Kora of the Gurkhas and the obsolete long Dao of the Kacharis and Khasis of Assam.' (Rawson, pg. 13 )
   

   An etymological note on the word khukuri and related terms Though spelt various ways, the word khukuri --pronounced as koo-ka-ree with stress on the first syllable -- derives from Sanskrit kshura- 'razor' [(11)Turner-3727], cognate with Greek ksuron 'razor'. Sanskrit is an ancient Indo-European language (see chart below) in which the Hindu religions texts, such as the Vedas and Bhagavadgita, are preserved. The Nepali form khukuri shows (1) simplification of the initial cluster ksh to kh and (2) reduplication of the resulting root khur- to khukuri- (showing (3) loss of aspiration on the non-reduplicated part of the stem, presumably as part of Grassmann's rule which forbids two aspirated consonants to appear in a stem). The reduplicant (khur ) shows the standard deletion of the coda ('r'), thus surfacing as khu-. With the (4) addition of a final nominalising suffix -i ('bladed object'), we find the word khukuri : Sanskrit:              kshura ('razor')   (1)cluster simplification khura   (2)reduplication khu-khur-   (3)Grassmann's law khu-kur-   (4)nominalising suffixation (-i ) khu-kur-i Nepali: khukuri The two usual accompanying tools of the khukuri are the small utility knife called the karda ( < Hindi kard < Persian [(10)Turner-pg.78])and the sharpening steel called chakma,chakmak ( < Hindi chaqmaq < Turkish [(10)Turner-pg.163]). --B. Slade References(1) Acharya, Jayaraj. A descriptive grammar of Nepali and an analyzed corpus. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1991. (2) Apte, Vaman Shivram. The student's Sanskrit-English dictionary. Poona, 1890. reprinted, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1973. (3) Bloch, Jules. Indo-Aryan: from the Vedas to modern times. English edition - largely revised by the author and translated by Alfred Master. Paris: Librairie d'Amérique et d'Orient, 1965. (4) Burrow, T. The Sanskrit Language. London: Faber and Faber, 1959 [2nd rev. ed., 1965]. (5) Grassmann, Hermann. 'Ueber die Aspiraten und ihr gleichzeitiges Vorhandensein im An- und Auslaute der Wurzeln'. Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung auf dem Gebiete des Deutschen, Griechischen und Lateinischen 12.2 (1863): 81-138. (6) Masica, Colin P. The Indo-Aryan languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991. (7) Matthews, David J. A course in Nepali. London: School of Oriental & African Studies, 1984 (2nd ed., 1991). [reprinted, London: Curzon, 1998] (8) Monier-Williams, Sir Monier (with the collaboration of E. Leumann & C. Cappeller, et al.) A Sanskrit-English Dictionary: etymologically and philologically arranged with special reference to cognate Indo-European languages. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1899-new ed. (earlier edition, 1872). [reprinted with corrections, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2002] (9) Schmidt, Ruth Laila with Ballabh Mani Dahal, et al. A Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali / vyaavahaarika nepaalii-angrejii shabdakosh. Delhi: Ratna Sagar, 1993. (10) Srivastava, Dayanand. Nepali Language - its history and development. Calcutta: Calcutta University Press, 1962. (11) Turner, Sir Ralph Lilley. A comparative and etymological dictionary of the Nepali language. London: K. Paul, 1931. (reprinted, New Delhi: Allied Publisher, 1980) [online version available from Digital Dictionaries of South Asia, University of Chicago: (12) Turner, Sir Ralph Lilley. A comparative dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages. 4 vols. London: Oxford University Press, 1966-1985. reprinted, Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999. (13) Vidyamahavaridhi, Parasamashi Pradyaan, & Nagebdramashi Pradyaan Samkalit. Thuulo nepaalii-nepaalii-angrejii kosh: Nepali-Nepali-English Dictionary. Kalimpong (West Bengal, India): Magyamani Prakashan, 1983. (14) Yadava, Yogendra P. & Warren W. Glover (eds.) Topics in Nepalese Linguistics. Kathmandu: Royal Nepal Academy, 1999.

   'khukuri' written in Nepali

   nb: this is not an exhaustive listing of Indo-European languages or sub-families-  some languages and sub-famlies are omitted due to considerations of space

   
   

   Nepal and the Nepalis The Kingdom of Nepal lies between the east meridians of 80°22' and 88°12' and the north parallels of 26°22' and 30°27', bordered by India on the west, south and east, and by the Tibetan region of the People's Republic of China in the north. Nepal occupies an area of 54,718 square miles (88,041 km) and has a population of about 17 million. Mt. Everest (called Sagarmatha in Nepali), the highest mountain in the world (29,028 feet - 8848 metres), is located in the northern part of Nepal, and part of the Ganges plain is included in the south. In the Himalayan highlands of Nepal live Mongoloid peoples speaking Tibetan and other Tibeto-Burman languages, like the Sherpas. In the valleys of the lower Himalayas (like the Kathmandu & Pokhara valleys) reside various Indo-Aryan and Tibeto-Burman speaking peoples. South of the forest/jungle areas of the inner Terai, in the fertile flatlands of the Terai on the north edge of the Gangetic plain, there live a large percentage of Nepal's population - mainly Indo-Aryan speaking people. These flatlands are the most agriculturally productive part of Nepal and thus is one of the most economically important regions. **** The earliest known history of Nepal begins with the Kiratis, who seem to have arrived in Nepal from the east in the 8th or 7th century BC. They are said to have favoured long knives (which may be an ancestor of the khukuri). Later Buddhism spread into Nepal from India during the Kirati era, but by 200 AD Hinduism had largely supplanted Buddhism. Hinduism was introduced into the kingdom when the Licchavis, from northern India, invaded and overthrew the Kirati ruler.  By the late 9th-c. the Licchavi dynasty had died out and had been replaced by that of the Thakuri. Later, from the 14th-18th centuries, a Newari royal family, the Mallas, ruled the Kathmandu Valley.  Then, in the 18th-century, the ruler of Gorkha (in central Nepal, about 100km west of Kathmandu), King Prithvi Narayan Shah, conquered various warring principalities (most importantly in the Kathmandu Valley) and formed a united Nepal, founding the modern state of Nepal. Prithvi Narayan died in 1775 and was succeeded by his son Bahadur Shah, who continued to pursue a policy of expansion. By 1810 Nepal was twice its present size and its encroachment on the terrority of British India lead to the first and only Anglo-Nepali war during 1814-1816.   Factionalism and intercine fighting amongst Prithvi Narayan's descendents lead to the Kot Massacre in 1846, during which General Jung Bahadur Rana seized power of the government and had himself proclaimed Prime Minister for life as well as assuming the title Maharajah. The rightful royal family of Nepal, the Shahs, were reduced to virtual figureheads and cyphers.  Relations with British India were improved when Jung Bahadur assisted in quelling the Sepoy Rebellion (Indian Mutiny) of 1857 with Gurkha troops. When Britain withdrew from India in 1947-8, the support of the Rana government was weakened. In 1950, King Tribhuvan fled to India and later lead in the democratic movement of the Nepali Congress Party and B.P. Koirala against the Rana government. A system of 'Panchayat' democracy was established, under which political parties were not allowed. In 1989-90, the Nepali Congress Party with the support of the Communist Party of Nepal agitated against the 'panchayat' system; and, in 1991, a government was formed, headed by the Nepali Congress leader Krishna Prasad Bhattarai. In the late 1990s, a Maoist guerilla movement began rebelling against the government. Maoist attacks have claimed over 1700 lives thus far in Nepal, and disrupted the economy, partially through their dacoit style tactics. 2001 saw a royal massacre of many of the members of the royal family, including King Birendra Shah, by Crown Prince Dipendra. The late king's brother, Gyanendra ascended to the throne and quickly restored stability. **** The founder of the modern state of Nepal, His Majesty King Prithvi Narayan Shah, described Nepal over two centuries ago as 'a flower garden of four castes and thirty-six tribes' (Yadava & Glover p. iii); -- and to this description one may add '120 languages'. Bahuns (Brahmins) rank highest in the traditional caste hierarchy, along with Chhetris (Kshatriyas) they formed a majority of the influential and wealthy people of Nepal and are the most widely dispersed throughout the country. More than half of all Bahuns & Chhetris live in the western hills, where they are about 80% of the area's total population. Their mother tongue, Nepali, an Indo-Aryan language, has become the state language of Nepal. Nepali (also called Gorkhali, Parbatiya, Khaskura) is also the mother tongue of a small number of occupational castes, such as the Damai (tailors), Sarki (cobblers), Kami(blacksmiths) and Sunar (goldsmith) castes (see Bista). About 58% of the population of Nepal speaks Nepali as their mother tongue. Other prominent Indo-Aryan languages of Nepal include Awadhi (2%), Bhojpuri (7.5%), Maithili (11.9%) and Tharu (5.3%). The majority of the other languages of Nepal are Tibeto-Burman languages, including Gurung (1.23%), Limbu (1.37%), Newari (3.73%) and Tamang (3.26%). Many of the Gurkha troops are and were recruited from the (Mongoloid) hill tribes of Gurung, Magar, Limbu and Rai. Gorkhali Girl dancing References (1) Bista, Dor Bahadur. People of Nepal. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 1989 (7th ed., 2000). (2) Bonarjee, P.D. A Handbook of the Fighting Races of India. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co., 1899. (3) Chaudhuri, Kiran Chandra. Anglo-Nepalese Relations: from the earliest times of the British rule in India till the Gurkha War. Calcutta: Modern Book Agency Private Ltd., 1960. (4) Hamilton, Francis Buchanan. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepal, and of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha. Edinburgh: Archibald Hamilton, 1819. reprinted, New Delhi: Asian Educational Service, 1986. (5) Husain, Asad. British India's Relations with the Kingdom of Nepal 1857-1947: a diplomatic history of Nepal. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1970. (6) Kirkpatrick, Col. William. An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul, being the Substance of Observations made During a Mission to that Country, in the Year 1793. London: William Miller, 1811. reprinted, New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 1996. (7) Krauskopff, Gisèle and Pamela Deuel Meyer (eds.) with Tek Bahadur Shrestha, Kurt Meyer & Tej Panjiar. The Kings of Nepal & the Tharu of the Tarai. Los Angeles: rusca Press & Kirtipur (Nepal): Research Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies, Tribhuvan University, 2000. (8) Landon, Perceval. History of Nepal. 2 vols. London: Constable & Co., Ltd., 1923. reprinted, Delhi: Adarsh Enterprises, 2001. (9) Prithvinarayan Shah. Dibya Upadesh. Yogi Narhari Nath, ed. Kathmandu, 2016 B.S. (10) Rana, Lt. General Daman Shumsher Jang Bahadur. Nepal: rule and misrule. New Delhi: Rajesh Publications, 1978. (11) Rana, Pudma Jung Bahadur. Life of Maharaja Sir Jung Bahadur, G.C.B., G.C.S.I., etc., etc., of Nepal by his son the late General Pudma Jung Bahadur Rana. Abhay Charan Mukerji, ed. Allahabad (U.P., India): Pioneer Press, 1909. reprinted, Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 1980 (Bibliotheca Himalayica II.8). (12) Singh, Sarva Daman. Ancient Indian Warfare: with special reference to the Vedic period. Leiden: Brill, 1965. [2nd ed., Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1989. (13) Subba, T.B. "Being a Nepali in Northeast India: predicaments of a 'privileged nation'". in The Nepalis in Northeast India: a community in search of Indian identity. A.C. Sinha & T.B. Subba, eds. New Delhi: Indus, 2003: pp. 197-207.(14) Stiller, Ludwig F., S.J. The Rise of the House of Gorkha: a study in the unification of Nepal 1768-1816. Kathmandu: Patna Jesuit Society, 1973. (15) Thapa, Netra Bahadur. A Short History of Nepal. Kathmandu: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 1967 [3rd. ed.]. (16) Tucci, Giuseppe. Nepal: the discovery of the Malla. trans. from Italian by Lovett Edwards. London: George Allen & Unwin, 1962. (17) Yadava, Yogendra & Warren W. Glover, eds. Topics in Nepalese Linguistics. Kathmandu: Royal Nepal Academy, 1999.

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