Appearance of the Kukri in Classical South Indian Culture

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Appearance of the Kukri in Combat in Classical South Indian Culture


It is believed by many that the kukri came into existence as a derivative evolution of the kopis first introduced to the Indian subcontinent by the Macedonian troops during Alexander the Great's campaign in the 4th Century BCE. Today, everyone tends to associate the iconic kukri with Nepal, and with good reason - the famed Gurkha warriors carry it with distinction to this day. But deep in the south of the Indian subcontinent there exists evidence of the widespread use of the kukri in the Dravidian cultures of Classical India nearly a thousand years ago.

The Hoysala Empire was a South Indian kingdom that thrived in modern-day Karnataka between the 10th and 14th centuries. During the height of the empire's high classical period, it was centered around Halebidu, site of the Hoysaleswara temple complex, home to the ruling family. The temple architecture is remarkable, and probably best known for the use of relief sculptures, or friezes, that form an integral part of the temple structure. Completed in 1121 C.E., these friezes provide an incredibly detailed (not to mention visually stunning) window into Hoysala culture and history, including warfare. When I visited the temple in 2008, I took my time to traverse the entire perimeter in search of visual clues that might provide a window into the arms and armor of South India in her antiquity.

My efforts did not disappoint. Several sections of friezes depicted scenes of war, scenes that likely portrayed either epics from Hindu mythology or possibly the internecine warfare that took place between the Hoysala and the contemporary Kannada civilizations competing for regional influence at the time of the temple's construction (such as the Kalachuri and Chalukya). Given the tendency of civilizations to portray historical events through the filter of contemporary references, it seems reasonable to expect that even if these reliefs did portray scenes from Hindu epics, they would most likely depict contemporary arms in use at the time.

Of note was the fact there were the different sword forms shown attributed to the Hoysala: both a straight blade and a forward-curving blade that could only be a kukri. It would appear as if the two forms coexistence simultaneously. Possibly they corresponded to different classes of warriors? This would not require a large stretch of reason considering the continued existence of the caste system today. Furthermore, some of the battle scenes depict both sides fighting with kukris, which would seemingly indicate the kukri saw widespread deployment and use in the region during this period.

Another relief sculpture show what clearly appears to be a flanged mace, which seems to indicate the use of such weaponry preceded the introduction of armor. Archers are depicted with what appear to be longbows. Another scenes proved enlightening with regards to the tactics used at the time.

Without further ado, I have below hosted and posted about a dozen photographs I shot in 2008, and welcome any and all discussion pertaining to the subject at hand. I hope you find this as interesting as do I.

Do to the number of images, I will post the remainder in a second post immediately following this one.


Photo of Hoysaleswara Temple

See the people on the far right for scale


Photo of the Friezes



Relief Sculptures Featuring the Kukri (Including Close-ups of Battle Friezes)



(note the warrior armed with the mace)




Battle Frieze Featuring Kukris in Combat

(note the right-facing warrior with the kukri immediately in front of the elephant on the left of the panel)