Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Appearance of the Kukri in Classical South Indian Culture

laEspadaAncha · 3rd March 2010, 07:12 PM

Hi Emanuel,

Thank you for both the links and for posting those illustrations!

I wondered the same thing about the early kukris, given the progression of 20th century military-pattern kukris transition from the more rounded spine to the more contemporary "kinked" angular spine... Then I found an earlier Indian kukri that had the angular kink lacking from the the more gentle curves of contemporary Nepali kukris, and upon viewing the friezes at Halebidu couldn't help but make the association.

I do think that my labeling of the swords / knives depicted in the friezes at Halebidu may have been prematurely presumptive. Persistence and luck paid off when I found this example online, with a Southwest Indian attribution:

This is a far more distinct example of an ayudha katti than I have previously seen, and indeed IMO a close match to the weapons depicted in the friezes at Halebidu.

Furthermore, in form it appears to have characteristics that significantly distinguish it from both the kukri - whether derived from the kopis, earlier Persian influences, or of independent origin - as well as from other expressions of the ayudha katti I have seen in print and on line. The distinctiveness of this particular example, would, IMHO, lend credence to Nidhi's suggestion of the existence of the forward-curved ayudha katti as an indigenous form.

And thank you for that most enlightening last post.

Regards,

Chris

3rd March 2010, 07:12 PM	#20
laEspadaAncha Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 608	Hi Emanuel, Thank you for both the links and for posting those illustrations! I wondered the same thing about the early kukris, given the progression of 20th century military-pattern kukris transition from the more rounded spine to the more contemporary "kinked" angular spine... Then I found an earlier Indian kukri that had the angular kink lacking from the the more gentle curves of contemporary Nepali kukris, and upon viewing the friezes at Halebidu couldn't help but make the association. I do think that my labeling of the swords / knives depicted in the friezes at Halebidu may have been prematurely presumptive. Persistence and luck paid off when I found this example online, with a Southwest Indian attribution: This is a far more distinct example of an ayudha katti than I have previously seen, and indeed IMO a close match to the weapons depicted in the friezes at Halebidu. Furthermore, in form it appears to have characteristics that significantly distinguish it from both the kukri - whether derived from the kopis, earlier Persian influences, or of independent origin - as well as from other expressions of the ayudha katti I have seen in print and on line. The distinctiveness of this particular example, would, IMHO, lend credence to Nidhi's suggestion of the existence of the forward-curved ayudha katti as an indigenous form. And thank you for that most enlightening last post. Regards, Chris