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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
What is the latest consensus on the origin of the kukri in its traditional form and what might be the earliest example known?
Also, what might be the most probable explanation for the distinctive notch at the choil?
I think it would be interesting to hear some discussion on these, as I know that I for one, would like to learn more on these.
Jim
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Thanks Derek. Ill try .
Jim re the kaudi, {notch.}
According to the sources Simon & I interveiwed at some length over many days in Nepal, 2 years ago.
They included a well educated master kami called Nawaraj from Dharan who was fortuanate enough to have been educated alongside the Gurkhas children on a British Army base where his father was a kami, & a well known kukri dealer from Kathmando , Ram Kumar, & Various other people confirmed what was said by them for us. Ravi the descendent of a long line of Gurkhas & Gorkhas back to at least the Indian mutiney confirmed the religious & spiritual connotations & pointed out the actual temple roofs thier shapes matched.
Also Various Bhramins from the family of an Air hostess I met in Nepal, have been kind enough to add thier input to the interpritation factors of the designs involved & explained that in thier eyes, all Hindu weapons have religious symbols to conteract the possibly maleficent spirits that can be attracted to weapons that have been involved in violence & bloodshed, Such symbols as Buddhas eye on Ram Dao & the Lotus on kora are other examples.
That said on a practical level The cho {which is usualy called the kaudi in Nepal} they say practicaly speaking it is a device to drip blood to reduce the amount of it that gets on to the handle. It also clearly provides an area that allows the ending of the blade bevel without a raised ricaso.
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Interestingly they & most of the other Nepali sources we spoke to say most of the original designs are religious symbols usualy based on the shape of various temple roofs.
Shivas Lingham, from the god of victory, is the commonest although they say it is also doubles as the cows hoof. also a sacred symbol. {Which in Nepali eyes is doubly good if it can be both things.} as both Nawaraj & Ram explained to us that when a particular kaudi looked like a particular symbol to one person that they percieved as something else that was doubly auspicios as it could have both meanings, so although the kaudi was made with a particular meaning or shape by the kami, interpritation & meaning is in the eye of the beholder as well.
Buddhas temple, peacocks {Of which on is both the symbol of Nepal & also connected to both Buddha & some Hindu gods of war, longevity etc.. } & apparently even christs cross can be also represented.
I am sure some kaudi have different meanings from this but my research, leads me to belive they are all protective religious symbols, the sun god, crescent moon symbols & the sexual organs of the gods as examples. Whether particular symbols were prefered by individual, kami, or particular workshops or {often called armourys or arsenals.} we could find no definate proof but to me it does seem quite possible to my thinking.
Intrestingly The small stars or circles often found on the majority of commercal post 1960 kukri at the end of the small spines fullers or grooves also represent Lord Buddhas eyes one of the familar all seeing god symbols one sees all over Nepal. {& indeed on Ram Dao.}
Hope thats of some help or intrest. Personaly I think all the old Nepali kukri had the notch, some collecters disagree, but I think there examples are actualy worked on re worked blades.
Heres examples of Peacock, Shivas lingham {cows hoof.} & Buddhas roof, kaudi. The bottom one {mk.1 pattern.} also looks like its probably a temple roof, perhaps one near Calcutta, or Queeta ? {pure idle speculation on my part.} as this Mk.1 carrys, FW fort william marks & those of Queeta armoury as well. amongst many others.{last 3,company battalion,dates etc.} But then theres a lot of miles between Calcutta & Queeta.
As for the oldest kuri I woud say The earliest known kukri to date, belonged to Raja Drabya Shah, dated between 1559 & 1570 in the 16th century.
Heres a few of his pieces from Nepal National museam. The picture is poor, but the design of the kukri seems already fully evolved so I believe they were already common & had been for a long time at this point.
I would also like point out that although the Atlanta "longleaves" were quite likely to be made pre.1898 the inscriptions generaly start Shree 3 Chandra as an honorific to Prime minster Chandra who ruled from c.1902 to 1928. so clearly were in service at some point in that time frame. {I surmise they were marked when he came to power, but have no evidence.}
As for the true origin of the kukri? currently lost in the mists of time I would say.
Spiral