I agree that this is most likely southern Indian in origin, and the Malabar Coast area is a possibility. The Tirri picture shows three examples, and while I am familiar with the top one as definitely being a Moplah chopper from the Malabar coast (I have a very similar example that I purchased privately in Bangalore), the other two look more like sacrificial instruments rather than weapons to me and their origins are more widely distributed than the Malabar Coast. I would be cautious about attributing the original item of this thread to the Malabar Coast based solely on Tirri's description.
I also agree with Charles that a Ceylonese origin is possible.
Ian.
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