How old is the kora, as a type?

[Jens Nordlunde]

Most collectors have been asked the question: “How old is this weapon as a type”?
I most cases it is impossible to answer the question, to the surprise of the one who asked the question, but the different weapon types developed slowly, and many of the first types are long gone. I therefore think the information below may be a surprise to many.

In ‘A Catalogue of Arms and Armour in the State Museum, Hyderabad, A.P., 1975’, I found the following text.
In the eastern parts of the Deccan, some new weapons seem to have been introduced to suit to the regional needs of the people. The ‘Kora’, which could produce deadly blows with its forward-curved and broad-tipped blade, appears, for the first time, in one of the sculptural panels carved in the second gate of the Mukhalintesvara temple at Mukhlingam, the capital seat of the Eastern Ganga monarchs.
The temple is datable to the second half of the eighth century A.D. It may, therefore, be presumed that ‘Kora’, the favourite weapon of the Gurkhas, had come in vogue by the middle of the eighth century A.D.

The age, of this sword type, will no doubt surprise many, like it did me, but also the place surprised me. Not north India and not Nepal, but Deccan.
The kora could have been used all over Indian in the early times, vanishing, and in the end only being used in north India and Nepal – but was it so, or did it travel north during war times, and ended up being adopted in the north but vanishing in Decca?

[B.I]

hi jens,
a very interesting post, which will hopefully attract some kora enthusiasts to empart some of their knowledge.
as you know, nepal isnt my thing, but will offer an honest and humble opinion.

firstly, i am always wary of unreferenced data, maybe more so when it comes from india. the few publications that have entered our shelves have warranted questioning (not by me - i like all books, the good, the bad and the ugly :-)
however, the hyderabad catalogue is quite well written (if compared). it doesnt offer any earth-shattering new data, but doesnt try to. it states dates in a cautious and relatively accurate way.
it has been some time since i read it, but a casual look shows that this kora reference was from douglas barrett. i havent read this particular book, but have read others he has written and his speciality is architecture, which he is well respected for. his knowedge isnt arms, and i am guessing the kora reference was instigated by nigam (from the hyderabad museum).
the deccan reference doesnt surprise me at all, but i would not go as far as to say this is an origin. the nature of indian arms is that the style travelled well. the ancus, in pure form is apparant for at least 1200 years, and most probably more (i rarely look further :-) in both the north and south of india.
the katar, once thought to be an akbar 'invention' was fully developed in both the north and south during the 16thC (again, and maybe earlier).
there is no reason for me to think the same of the kora. weapons get adapted by cultures and then history tends to casually rope these elements together into a marriage that forgets any previous history they may have had. the sikh chakram is a great example, it being a much earlier hindu weapon.
as for the deccan statue (gates, actually) in question. i will definately trace the reference in the near future. what nigam saw could well have been a kora, or an early version of. or, it could have been a worn statue, offering a sword shape that resembled a kora in its present condition. i would go for the former, as i always like to give the benefit of the doubt.
i have attached an image from a sculpture in madhya pradesh (6thC). the sword flares out at the end, with a strange kora-like tip (or this could the the tip of the sword broken off the statue!). the blade curves slightly inwards and the pommel and 'quillion' are both disc-like.
all possible elements of a kora. i am not saying this is the same sword form, but maybe this is what nigam was looking out when he made that statement.

[Jens Nordlunde]

Well, maybe I am too optimistic, or maybe you are too sceptical, anyway I found the writing interesting, and you did avoid the key question – ‘How old is the kora, as a type’?
I know it is a tricky question, as the answer will be, ‘I don’t know’. But the meaning with the question was to try and see, how far back we can trace it. Maybe the sword at the gate is a kora, and maybe someone, with a bit of good will, took it for a kora, but there may be a picture in one of the big libraries in London, which could solve the problem. I did find a page on the net with 671 pictures from the temple, but, the pictures were unfortunately too small.

BTW I would not take the sword shown on the picture you attach for a kora, but I suppose it depends on the eyes looking at the picture. I do however see your point showing the picture.

[B.I]

as you say (and i fully agree) the sword i show may not be a kora-form. but, either way, it conforms to the basic elements inherant in a 18th/19thC piece. in looking for an earlier example (especially when going back 1000 years) we have to allow for severe style changes. so, all we can do is find these base elements and speculate.

[Ian]

I think we need the help of JP for this question. I believe John has studied the kora in considerable detail. If I recall correctly from a previous discussion, John thought the kora was not a very old weapon and it largely disappeared from use in the early to mid-19th C.

Ian.

[Jim McDougall]

I agree that John Powell's expertise is much needed to address this question here as his outstanding knowledge of these weapons is well known. Pending, and hoping for his input, I would like to offer some observations.

It seems that many ethnographic edged weapons have distinct similarities to various early iconography that suggests that thier form may have derived stylistically in degree from these sources. Jens' well placed observation concerning the kora is one of many of these instances. I believe that these atavistic possibilities reflect the distinct traditional awareness of later armourers who may have developed these often relatively recent forms recalling the weapons of their ancestors.

Rawson (p.53) notes the very likely descent of the kora from early forward angled swords from Barabadur and the Begur stone suggesting early medieval date of possibly 9th or 10th c. AD for establishment of these type swords in hill regions of Nepal . In reviewing "Indian Arms & Armour" by Pant, on p. 54-55, he concurs with Rawson on this suggestion.The examples described by Jens may similarly include developmental stages of weapons from which the kora may have derived, clearly of earlier date, and from the Deccan.

I think it is important to note that the Gurkhas, who are of course renowned for thier use of the kukri, also used the kora. The Gurkhas are predominantly descended from early Brahmans and Rajputs from which they maintain ancestry from the Kshatriya warriors of the Hindu Faith. Ethnically speaking they are also of predominantly Mongolian descent.

Much of the Deccan from central to eastern, was a bastion of South Indian Hinduism, fiercely defended by Tamil warriors from the expanding Mughal sphere. These warriors often served as mercenaries throughout the Deccan, so it would seem that weapons diffusion may certainly have moved northward and entered the Nepalese regions.

Rawson, on. p.38, depicts several of the forward curved type swords on p.53 as previously noted, and most noticeably the examples shown as 'Viragal swords,10th c.' suggest possible nominal association to the kora form. Not familiar with the term 'virigal' , I discovered that this term referred to sculptured stones called 'hero stones' and the term is Sanskrit for that description. Apparantly these Tamil monuments are found throughout the Deccan and record the heroism of these Hindu warriors, and many of them reflect depictions of the swords used, as shown in the Rawson reference.

The most distinctive features of these 'virigal' swords that allude to the kora form are the chopper/sickle type blade and especially the divided or bifurcated fishtail tip, which is in essence found on the koras dual concave tip.

I tend to believe that the kora as used by the Gurkha warriors probably developed in the familiar form rather late, and the examples most commonly seen are likely of mid 18th to 19th c. I am not aware of examples that can be confidentally dated into the 17th c. or earlier.

While it seems unclear whether the 10th century swords noted here actually maintained a steadily developing lineage into the kora form, it does seem possible that there may have been some influence iconographically as I have speculated. I do also believe that the kora in its known form probably did develop distinctly as such in Kathmandu regions, as John has maintained. I believe that the kukri supplanted the kora as a combat weapon eventually, and it seems the two have of course similar dynamics. The kora later became more of a ceremonial/sacrificial weapon and I wonder if the blade representing features of those earlier viragal swords may have associated sometime in the 18th century.

It would seem I have rambled this into an epic ! unintentionally as usual...but hope it might generate more thoughts on the development and ancestry of these interesting swords.

John! where are ya?

All best regards,
Jim

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hi Jim, from your mail it is clear, that you have put a lot of time into your answer – thank you.

In Hindu Arms and Ritual, page 252, Robert Elgood writes: “Kora, Nepalese, Bengali and Orissan sword, the blade broadening and curving slightly as it gets further from the hilt. The form is early though most examples date from the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries. Nigam states that it appears in a sculptured panel in the Mukhalingesvara Temple, Mukhalingam, capital of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, second half of the eighth century. Seven examples are in the Royal Danish Kunstkammer inventory of 1674 where they are described as East Indian Sabres. Another in Copenhagen has an Indian hilt and a Danish blade bearing the mark of Christian V.
The kora is generally described by modern writers as Nepalese but appears to be particularly associated with Bengal. A kora in the Kandy Museum, Sri Lanka, is said to be the weapon of the last executioner”.

I have checked the information about the Royal Danish Kunstkammer, and in the book Ethnographic Objects in The Royal Danish Kunstkammer 1650-1800, Copenhagen 1980, it says that in year 1674 they had seven and in year 1689 they had eight ‘Ostindische krumsabler’. The text is on page 107 and two of the koras are shown on page 108. King Christian V (1646-1699). I don’t know if the one with the kings mark has a Danish blade or not, as the book only mentions the items in the collection, the mark could also have been made after the kora arrived in Copenhagen. There is however a chance that the Danes made trade blades, as they had a small trade colony, Tranquebar, on the southeast coast of India.

I have mailed the Danish National Museum to ask if the blade with Christian V’s mark really is Danish made, and to which degree the Danes made trade blades for India – I hope I get an answer.

Quoting Robert I left something out, maybe I should not have, as he writes ‘See Bughalee’. It is also in the glossary, and says, ‘Bughalee. Term used by Fanny Parks in the nineteenth century as synonymous with a korah (kora). See Parkes II, p. 143. Then something about the koras in Denmark, and he ends. The weapon appears to be particularly associated with Bengal’.

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Guys!
This is outstanding! exactly what I had hoped, continued discussion bringing forth great ideas and observations, and especially sharing data and information. I had not known about the Danish holdings Jens! and it always amazes me that so many key ethnographic observations were prevalent, and typically we overlook their most important status as explorers and traders.The examples from the Christian V period represent that the kora certainly existed in its form in 1674. I am wondering if the 'Ostinische krumsabler' (what is the lit. transl. of 'krumsabler' ?) examples may have been obtained earlier in the expeditions to India sent by Christian IV c.1624, where Crappe visted the court of Raghunatha Nayaka in Tanjore.

Spiral, thank you for the photo of the holdings and information from the Nepali museum with the kora of Draya Shah c.1560. This indeed does push back the date of the form even further. I must admit to certain reservations on the captions and identifications that describe many items on display in museums which, especially in the case of weapons, often show a weapon ascribed to important or prominant individuals,when the weapon on display may simply be 'of the type' or assumed to be of the period. After considering the Danish examples, it would seem to me that the Draya Shah example probably does represent sound evidence of the form as early as c.1560, and with that likely even earlier.

These much earlier dates suggest of course that the kora existed in Nepal in roughly its present form as early as the 16th century, and we need to consider how much earlier it may have been present, as well as from where it may have derived. Brian has included the interesting possibility of a proto-kora type weapon in images from Madhya Pradesh from 6th c. It should be noted that this region is located roughly between the Deccan and Nepal.This iconographic source, although certainly not of a kora, does suggest the presence of the flared tip and certain similarities to them.

Jens has noted the comments presented in Elgood that include other iconographic approximations of proto-kora type swords from Muklingham in the Ganga regions (Bengal) of latter 8th c. AD.

The 'virigal' stones of Tamil warriors in the Deccan from the 10th century have images of curiously bladed swords with splayed, flared tips that have nominal similarity to the kora blade, and certainly represent the blade shapes that emphasize the forward angle and weight to maximize cut force.

It has been well established that Nepal and Bengal have distinct cultural ties from ancient times, and such ties would seem to extend of course to the Deccan via the Hindu faith, which we know was prevalent for the Gurkhas.

So it would appear that we have the kora established in its present form as early as 1560 in Nepal, with various proto forms represented from as early as the 6th century in regions south of Bengal, and later key representations of loosely similar weapons from 8th and 10th centuries.

Now just to try to connect the dots!

All best regards,
Jim

[Jens Nordlunde]

Hi Spiral, thanks for the picture, it looks rather short an heavy.

Hi Jim, Interesting what you write, and yes, bothe the kora Spiral shows and the 'Danish' koras can not be considered as being 'prototypes'.
I have checked a few more books about the kora, and in P.Holstein’s book ‘Contribution a L’etude des Armes Orientales’, Paris 1931, vol. II, I found one kora – only one, one plate XXXVI. It has a long slender blade, like the koras from Copenhagen, but the blade is decorated; the hilt is somewhat different from the ones in Copenhagen, as it is decorated. I can’t see anywhere that he gives an age, but he does write Nepal.

‘Musee de Tzaraskoe-Selo, Armes et Armeurs’, St Petersborg, 1856, plate LXVII. Here is also shown a kora, but only one. It is rather short, curved with a distinct mid rib, no age is given but it is attributed to Nepal.

About the Royal Danish Kunstkammer. The Danish king Frederik II (1559-88) had already in 1560 a plan to make a ‘Wunderkammer’ at the castle Krogen (the later Elsinor castle – although the two castles were not placed at the same place, as Krogen was placed a bit inland and higher than Kronborg at Elsenor. Kronborg was founded at the coast, so the canons could remember the passing ships to pay the tax for sailing into Danish waters). The collection was later moved to the old castle in Copenhagen. The interesting thing is, that the first inventory lists were made in 1674 and 1689, which means that the first seven koras must have arrived at the Kunstkammer somewhere between 1560 and 1674, and the last one between 1674 and 1689. Unless someone, by accident, find a inventory list from a Danish war/merchant ship we will never know exactly when the first koras entered the museum, but it must have been in the span of about 114 years between the start to the first inventory

Btw Tranquebar was a Danish colony from 1620 to 1845, it is known that the Danes have been visiting India earlier than that, but that was when the colony was founded.

If nothing else can be found in other museums, I think we will have to study what the early travellers wrote, and then maybe, we will find something of interest.

[JPSF]

Gents
as I said in my little talk this past March information regarding the kora in any form is nigh impossible to find much less verify. Many ethnographic experts believe it to be the only weapon truly specific to Nepal or more accurately that area of the Himilayas. With so much evidence pointing to 16th c and earlier use in India I wonder just when and how the design came down from the north, or is it a case of similar design from different sources? The earliest example I have is from Bhutan (4th from right) and while impossible to date exactly is most likely a 16th c piece.

The kora is pictured in recently found photos showing Nepalese warriors from around 1860 all armed with kukris & koras. http://www.ikrhs.com/phpBB2/viewtopi...er=asc&start=0

The kora is also still used to behead animals for certain religious ceremonies and contemporary pictures exist of old style koras being carried during these celebrations.

While there are weapons from the earliest days of India no koras seem to have surfaced except for some from the late 1700s with khanda style grips so it begs the question of existence to match their depictions in paintings and sculpture.

[JPSF]

3 Indian koras with the bottom piece being the oldest. Their are obvious differences between Nepali designs and these re: grips and straight spined blades.

[Jim McDougall]

It would seem we have established that the kora existed in basically the same form we see in most collected examples with the 'rondel' type hilt (simple tubular grip and disc at pommel and guard) as early as c.1560 by the example in the Nepali Museum. While that weapon seems well provenanced, I remain reserved on it as an example to set the earliest examples of this form.
The Danish examples, numbering 7 koras from 1674 and 8 by 1689, seem to offer a bit more established target in dating the form, however I found it most intriguing to determine how these most esoteric swords might have ended up in Denmark.

While the East India trading of England, Netherlands, France and Portugal were well established in India, lesser known is the activity of Denmark there. A trade factory for Denmark was established at Trankebar in 1620, which is located far south near Tanjore in Madras. The trade activity of Denmark met with considerable difficulty and conflict with Mughals and other powers trade networks. While it would seem that the location of the Danish post on the southern part of India would have little to do with the extremely northern and remote region of Nepal, there are some possibilities that might explain.

In Tamralipti in the Ganges basin, maritime trade extended south as far as Ceylon, and to SE Asia and Indonesia to the East. It seems plausible that items such as koras, might have found thier way to such trade (as Jens has noted, at least one example was used by an executioner in Ceylon). It is known that there was considerable privateering activity by the Danes from about 1640's into the 1670's in the Bay of Bengal. Possibly these weapons may have been acquired in these instances, finding their way as interesting and exotic examples back to Denmark?

Returning to the original question on the earliest date of the kora as a sword form, it seems that mid 17th century may be reliable enough as per the Danish provenanced examples, and pending more research on the Nepali Museum example we may be able to push to mid 16th century. While the focus is of course trying to find the date or period, considering the regional development and ancestry is necessary to establishing chronology of the form if possible.

I rather doubt that the kora as a form developed in Nepal without influence from other regions, much as the kukri reflects influences from the kopis with its widely diffused ancestry. It would seem likely that it did derive from the Hindu weapon forms from the Deccan via Bengal, as the early iconographic profiles suggest. I am unaware of an edged weapon that may have existed in Nepal prior to the kora that might have led to this form. Since Nepal was primarily Mongolian ethnically from early times, probably earlier edged weapons would have reflected those influences. The kukri seems to have entered the Nepali sphere via Northern India diffusion carrying the forward angled blade form associated with the ancient kopis.

The Tibetan versions of the kora, I believe are typically longer, thinner blades, although the form overall is essentially the same. In John's grouping of koras shown on this thread, he notes one of these as from Bhutan. It seems that it is incredibly difficult to discern Tibetan from Bhutanese weapons, and for purposes here they are essentially the same grouping.
In any case, I am inclined to consider that the Tibetan examples are longer and narrower as they may have been intended primarily as combat weapons, while Nepali examples are often ceremonial/sacrificial and shorter (although clearly they found occasion for combat as well, especially earlier examples).
It would seem that the kora may have developed in Tibet via tribal interaction from Nepal, and that became the northernmost extent of the form.

These are clearly my own speculations, as always pending further research, and I look forward to corrections and opposing ideas. I know I've learned a lot from what has been posted thus far on this thread, and I'd really like to see us get further on researching these intriguing swords!

All best regards,
Jim