The Khukri - Myth or Fact ?

kronckew · 17th December 2012, 09:14 AM

no one really knows what the cho is for. some say it breaks the blood flow from reaching the hand, some say it's a religious mark, some old khuks do not have one, many modern kamis (blacksmith's) say a blade is not a khukuri without a cho. some are open like shown, some are closed & thus are not a place where blood would drip off. some are shaped like a cloven hoofprint, some like pagodas. in the words of the QI quizmaster stephen fry, 'nobody knows'. they just are.

the gurkhas do joke when asked silly questions, and may even say the cho is a sight for aiming the khukuri when throwing it like a boomerang. when they get annoyed at people wanting to see or hold their khukuris, they will tell the tall tale that they cannot be drawn unless they taste blood, which has been developed into another urban myth.

ghurkhas are also not dumb enough to throw away their favourite weapon, rendering themselves unarmed. while it physically could be thrown, the probability of hitting anything with the point or edge is low, and they'd be better off throwing a rock.

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17th December 2012, 09:14 AM	#4
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	no one really knows what the cho is for. some say it breaks the blood flow from reaching the hand, some say it's a religious mark, some old khuks do not have one, many modern kamis (blacksmith's) say a blade is not a khukuri without a cho. some are open like shown, some are closed & thus are not a place where blood would drip off. some are shaped like a cloven hoofprint, some like pagodas. in the words of the QI quizmaster stephen fry, 'nobody knows'. they just are. the gurkhas do joke when asked silly questions, and may even say the cho is a sight for aiming the khukuri when throwing it like a boomerang. when they get annoyed at people wanting to see or hold their khukuris, they will tell the tall tale that they cannot be drawn unless they taste blood, which has been developed into another urban myth. ghurkhas are also not dumb enough to throw away their favourite weapon, rendering themselves unarmed. while it physically could be thrown, the probability of hitting anything with the point or edge is low, and they'd be better off throwing a rock.