Nice bunch of kora John! reminds me of Nepal!
I understand your reservations about museam provinance of famous personages weapons Jim, & looked for any evidence in the museam of this happening regarding kukris which , I am fairly familar with.
Many of the weapons were inscribed with names, nickames etc. of the owners in a manner that probably the most educated & skilfull kami {kukri & kora maker{Blacksmith} in modern Nepal though was generaly extremely well & confidently done in many individual work styles that would be hard to duplicate today.
I couldnt find any descrepancies in likley dates on the kukri designs for at leat the last 200 years. The ones older than that did appear to be generaly design predecesors in a manner that seemed logical {although obviously that is not proof of anything!} & therfore I fully see your point.
Many of the tribes groups in Nepal {including the Chetri warrior class, the Brahmins & of course the Newari} are of heavy Indian as well as Mongolian linage.
According to the museam curators, ex Gurkha historians{ educated men of very senior rank.} etc.}, arms dealers,collectors & even ill educated villagers we spoke to the kora was the main battle weapon of the fighting man in Nepal until superseded by firearms. {Although the higher caste warriers & officers would often use tulwar or Khandra.}
The piles of kora in the museams & sitting rusting away in the villages shacks & old military stores is mind boggoling, & seems to confirm that military use was there primary use although in the last century they as you say are just used at Dashien .{we saw hundreds of them, 90% rusted beyond belief.{So sad when on a few you spot the occasional old gold & silver inlayed ornate carving.{& yes I know the differance between brass & gold.
}}
Fighting kora in Nepal come in all shapes & sizes, blades from 16 in. to 3ft bieng common. 2ft to 30 in, are certanly the commonest though.
Some exceptional museam pieces are nearer 4ft.
Heres a photo of Bag Bharirav temple in Kirtipur that was eventualy sacked by the Gurkhas in 1769 with many of the weapons siezed from the Kathmando defenders.{the Gorkhas had already siezed Kathamando proper by that time.}nailed around the sides at a hieght of probably around 40 ft.
The 90lb or so of ears & noses that they cut of the still living defenders are no longer visible though!
{They spared the nose cutting of any man who could play the flute.}
The best of the weapons were of course siezed & as is the way in Nepal locked away until one of the the Palace armourys was opened, & the weapons are now displayed in the National museam.
A Fascinating thread this one! Although I find the Mentioning of the various countrys rather inprescise when one considers how the tribes & peoples of Nepal, India, Tibet & Bhutan have moved from one country to another & interbreed both in times of war & peace {not to mention the slavery trade that was legal in Nepal until around 1930} & that parts of India were once Nepal & the Nepalis invaded Tibet at least 3 times, & that the vallys of Nepal have been a genetic melting pot for many generations. {I guess refugees frow war & religious persecution have always ran to the hills!{if one can call the himalayas hills!}
I wonder if further study of Indian & Nepali temples & art work could provide us more history of the kora particularily the earlier examples.
Spiral
photos. copywrite Spiral JRS 2005.
Do not use without accreditation.