In my expierience of the Nepal national museam, collecters & dealers there, almost evry one recognises the differance between a khuda or kora handle & those of a tulwar.
I have numerous photos on an old hard drive i can use to illustrate that tulwar & kora  {or khuda.} have had different handles from each other for centuries in Nepal. Ill dig them out in a week or two. 
 
The kukri & the Kora are both regarded as Nepali national weapons in Nepal.
The kukri that started this thread was often made for tourists in 1920s & 30s,  most tourists in India at that time were members of British Indian army or British Indian civil service.   
Many soldiers , civil servants, entrenapurs & indeed Officers brought back tourist pieces of many types for wall decoration even up to & after ww2.
Spiral