A lot of money for small knife?

[olikara]

That was a beautiful Peechekathi as pointed by Tim. The Coorgis pronounce it 'Peechekathi' and not 'pichangatti'. Kathi in Coorgi and most other Dravidian tongues like Tamil and Malayalam stands for knife/dagger.

Even today peecehkathis are worn by Coorgi men for important social functions. The Peeche kathi cannot be purchased off the shelf even in the heart of Coorg(Mercara). It is often handed down over generations or has to be made to order and surprisingly not at a Swordsmiths shop but at a Jeweller's.

The jewellers were and still are the ones responsible for making the Peechekathis. This is because many of them are of ornate design and embellished with Gold or Silver. The Coorgi men would insert the Peechekathi at their waist and it was more of a status symbol rather than an instrument of war. All the Peechekathis that I have handled have the sharp edge only near the tip along the lower edge. Perhaps they were intended for use like the Katar or the Pesh-Kabz.

When it came to war and yes, as Ian rightly pointed out, the Coorgis were the Lords of War, they preferred to use the 'AyudhaKathi', which was invariably strapped to the Coorgi's waistband at the back or held in the hand. So we had the Peechekathi strapped to his front and the more potent 'AyudhaKathi' strapped to the back. Ayudha incidentally is Sanskrit for 'Weapon'.

Attached is an old photograph of an assembly of Coorgi elders. Notice the Peechekathi and the AyudhaKathi and how they are held.