Kukri
| Kukri | |
|---|---|
 Kukri and sheath |
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| Type | Knife |
| Place of origin | Nepal |
The kukri (Devanāgarī: खुकुरी) (also sometimes spelled khukri or khukuri) is a curved knife which can be used as a tool as well as a close combat mêlée weapon.
The cutting edge is inwardly curved in shape and is the icon of Nepal. It was and in many cases still is the basic and traditional utility knife of the Nepali people. Very effective when used as a weapon, it is a symbolic weapon for all Gurkha regiments throughout the world and the Nepali Army signifying the courage and valor of the bearer in the battlefield. It is a part of the regimental weaponry and heraldry of the Royal Gurkha Rifles. It is a part of many traditional rituals among different ethnic groups of Nepal, including one where the groom has to wear it during the wedding ceremony. It is known to many people as simply the "Gurkha blade" or "Gurkha knife" (with optional spelling "Gorka").
It is also widely used in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand state of India, where it is called Kaanta or Dafya (in Kumaoni).
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Design
The kukri is designed mainly for chopping but it can also be used to stab. 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, and also by region of origin and producing kami. As a general guide the spines vary from 5-10mm by the handle, and can taper to 2mm by the point, and blade lengths can vary from 26–38 cm for general use.
A kukri designed for general purpose is commonly 16 to 18 inches (around 40–45 cm) in overall length and weighs one to two pounds (around 450-900 grams). Bigger 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 a kukri's weight and balance is the construction of the blade, such as it being hollow forged, tin chira (triple fuller), dui chira (double fuller), angkhola (single fuller), or basic non tapered spines with large bevel edge.
Kukri blades usually have a notch ("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 cow foot, or Shiva (Brigade of Gurkhas).
Handles are most often made of hardwood or water buffalo horns, but ivory, bone, and metal handles are also used. 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 these days the stick tang is more popular. The full tang was 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 a leather wrapped scabbard. The scabbard usually holds a karda (auxiliary knife) and a chakmak (steel-flint striker) in addition. On many village kukris and some older military kukris, the scabbard also has a tinder pouch.
Manufacture
The kukri blade is forged of steel. Modern kukri blades are often forged from leaf springs collected from recycled truck suspensions . 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. A kukri blade has a hard, tempered edge and a softer spine. This enables it to maintain a sharp edge, yet tolerate impacts. They are also balanced so that they will rest in a vertical position if supported on a fulcrum, such as a finger.
Traditional kukris usually have handles made from hardwood or water buffalo horn. These handles 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 kukris, handles of cast aluminum or brass are press-fitted to the tang - as the hot metal cools it shrinks and hardens, locking onto the blade. Some kukris (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 (chiruwa) configuration.
Traditional profiling of the blade edge is performed by a two-man team; one man 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 by laha, the same adhesive used to the affix the handle to the blade. Routine sharpening is traditionally accomplished by passing a chakmak (smaller, harder, unsharpened blade) over the edge in a manner similar to that used by Western chefs to steel their knives.
Kukri sheaths are usually made of wood with a goatskin covering. The leatherwork is usually done by a sarki. Traditionally, the scabbard also holds two smaller tools called the karda and the chakmak. The karda is a small accessory blade used for many tasks. The chakmak is unsharpened and is used to burnish the blade. It can also be used to start a fire with flint. Attached to older style scabbards there is sometimes a pouch for carrying flint or dry tinder.
Types of kukri
Kukris can be broadly classified into two types, Eastern and Western. The Eastern blades are usually regarded as the thinner kukri and are often referred to as Sirupate (Siru Leaf),whilst Western blades are considered to be of the broader type, occasionally called Budhuna (refers to a fish with a large head), another term is Baspate (Bamboo leaf) which refers to blades just outside of the normal Sirupate blade. However this is a huge generalization, and all styles of kukri appear to be used in all areas of Nepal.
History
It is a matter of debate where the design came into Nepal from another country or who promoted it first. It may be indigenous to the Indian region, but similar designs were used in ancient Egypt, Iberia, and Greece.
One weapon of Iberian origin, the falcata, shows some similarity with the kukri, and the Greeks used similar weapons called the machaira and kopis. Alexander the Great's men used weapons of this type and may have spread it into India when Alexander moved into the Punjab.
The Greek kings in Afghanistan and India in later centuries who had relation with Mediterranean culture seem to have used tools similar to kukri, and possibly were promoters of it.
It is not documented if the Aryans had similar tools at that time.
Eurasian steppe people, the Turks used a type of forward-curving Turkish sword yataghan (mid-16th to late 19th centuries) which first appeared in centuries after the Battle of Manzikert and looked similar to kukri.
The oldest known kukris are in the National Museum (Kathmandu) in Nepal, and belonged to Drabya Shah circa 1559. The kukri came to be known to the Western world when the East India Company came into conflict with the growing Gurkha Empire, culminating in the Gurkha War of 1814–1816.
All Gurkha troops are issued the kukri, and in modern times in the Brigade of Gurkhas, they receive training in its use. The kukri gained fame in the Gurkha war for its effectiveness. Its continued use right through to and including both World War I and World War II enhanced its reputation among both allied troops and enemy forces. During the Second World War, the kukri was purchased and used by other British, Commonwealth, and U.S. troops training in India, including the Chindits and Merrill's Marauders as well as being standard issue for Canadian scout snipers in North-West Europe . The reputation of the Gurkha with his kukri carried on through to the Falklands War.
Kukri makers
Traditionally the Kami and Biswakarma are the masters of inherited kukri making art.
Uses
The blade's distinctive forward drop is intended to act as a weight on the end of the blade and make the kukri fall on the target faster and with more power. For attacking, the kukri is most effective as a chopping, slashing weapon, though it can be used for stabbing.
In combat, the kukri is basically used in three different styles: stabbing with the point, slashing or chopping with the edge, and (rarely) throwing. Because it has an angular blade bending towards the opponent, the user need not create an angle in the wrist, which makes a kukri more comfortable as a stabbing weapon. Its heavy blade enables the user to inflict deep wounds and to cut through muscle and bone. Gurkhas were known for using the kukri to chop off an enemy soldier's head with one stroke.
A kukri may be used in stealth operations - to slash an enemy's throat, killing him instantly and also silently.
While most famed as for use in the military, the kukri is most commonly used as a woodcutting and general purpose tool, and is a very common agricultural and household implement in Nepal.
Although a popular legend states that a Gurkha "never sheathes his blade without first drawing blood", the kukri is most commonly employed as a multi-use utility tool, rather like a machete. It can be used for building, clearing, chopping firewood, digging, cutting meat and vegetables, skinning animals, and opening tins.
The kukri also has a religious significance in the Nepali form of the Hindu religion. During the annual Dashain festival, kukris are ceremonially blessed.
See also
- Ancient weapons
- Celurit
- Arit
- Phurba
- Kris
- Sica
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Book:Knives and daggers 
Category:Knives