[Jim McDougall]

This type of 'kora' (from the distinctive Nepalese blade form) is believed from regions in Almora, in Uttarakhand, India , and is used in sacrificial ritual, as suggested by the 'eye' and the remains of red paint in pommel dish interior.

I think these were termed 'khonra' .

These regions were held by Gurkhas from 1790, but in 1816 became an administrative British holding. The combined Indo-Persian hilt with kora type blade is most interesting, and these have come up for discussion a number of times over the years.

While looking into these regions I discovered they are located near the southern edge of Kumaon, a place name which brought to mind a well known book I recalled which intrigued me many years ago, "The Man Eaters of Kumaon" by Jim Corbett (1944). It is always interesting when researching many ethnographic arms, these kinds of associations that bring to mind the adventurous stories and history from other areas in our own pasts, and trigger such memories.