How old is the Kora, and from where does it origin?

Jens Nordlunde · 5th May 2009, 03:17 PM

Jim, Gonzalo,

Thank you for your answers. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the stone piece from the 8th century, I only have what the author has written. After I started this thread, I have been told about a stone relief showing a man holding a kora/kora like sword, and this stone relief was dated to the 6th century.

If one wants to study the very old weapons, the safest way to do so, is to study the stone reliefs, and there can be far between the reliefs’s where you see any weapons, but it is the safest way to learn about the subject. Old palm books can be interesting, but they seldom show a drawing of the weapons, and the names used, can often be used for several types of weapons.

sirupate · 9th May 2009, 03:53 PM

From the Nepali perspective, there seems to be the thought (in Nepal) that it originated in India, and made its way into Nepal in the early 14th century, and it is classified as a Hindu sacrificial blade and weapon.
It is intersting that the Khunda is not commonly found in the Villages of Nepal.

ariel · 9th May 2009, 04:01 PM

What about the Tibetan Kora?
Tibetans stem from the Mongoloid culture; did they also get their Kora from Hinduist India?

sirupate · 9th May 2009, 04:36 PM

Hello Ariel,

Are you referring to Sacrificial khunda? I must confess to never having come across Kora/Khunda from Tibet, only small swords and daggers, but Tibet is not my forte. It would seem odd to have a Hindu weapon/sacrificial blade in use, in a Buddist country?

Tibetans are not just of Mongol origin btw.

Gonzalo G · 10th May 2009, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirupate

From the Nepali perspective, there seems to be the thought (in Nepal) that it originated in India, and made its way into Nepal in the early 14th century, and it is classified as a Hindu sacrificial blade and weapon.
It is intersting that the Khunda is not commonly found in the Villages of Nepal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sirupate

The Khunda according to the Nepalese historians I have been talking to is not the favourite weapon of the Gorkhas, this appears to be a myth born from early British writers who never even went to Nepal.

All this seems esoteric without concrete references everybody can check. The fact is that there are many very old indian khukris, but I have not found a trace of very old indian koras. And there is a plenty nepali koras with a definitive nepali handle. What Ariel says is very relevant. I believe (and I can be wrong), that those weapons could have a distinct origin from a tibetan group settled in Nepal.

Also, the kora is a weapon seem to be used in old times by the superior warrior castes, and not likely a villager tool. But the khukri is both things. I think that the kora was a relevant weapon before the introduction of fireweapons in Nepal, but not after. The kora seems not to be a practical weapon to carry with a musket or rifle; I don´t have a very precise information about, and if I am wrong please correct me, but I have the impression that the kora was carried without sheat. And their price must be too high for the common soldier, which can instead carry the khukri from home. This is not a simple matter of personal preferences, I believe.
Regards

Gonzalo

5th May 2009, 03:17 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	Jim, Gonzalo, Thank you for your answers. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the stone piece from the 8th century, I only have what the author has written. After I started this thread, I have been told about a stone relief showing a man holding a kora/kora like sword, and this stone relief was dated to the 6th century. If one wants to study the very old weapons, the safest way to do so, is to study the stone reliefs, and there can be far between the reliefs’s where you see any weapons, but it is the safest way to learn about the subject. Old palm books can be interesting, but they seldom show a drawing of the weapons, and the names used, can often be used for several types of weapons.

9th May 2009, 03:53 PM	#2
sirupate Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: England Posts: 373	From the Nepali perspective, there seems to be the thought (in Nepal) that it originated in India, and made its way into Nepal in the early 14th century, and it is classified as a Hindu sacrificial blade and weapon. It is intersting that the Khunda is not commonly found in the Villages of Nepal.

9th May 2009, 04:01 PM	#3
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	What about the Tibetan Kora? Tibetans stem from the Mongoloid culture; did they also get their Kora from Hinduist India?

9th May 2009, 04:36 PM	#4
sirupate Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: England Posts: 373	Hello Ariel, Are you referring to Sacrificial khunda? I must confess to never having come across Kora/Khunda from Tibet, only small swords and daggers, but Tibet is not my forte. It would seem odd to have a Hindu weapon/sacrificial blade in use, in a Buddist country? Tibetans are not just of Mongol origin btw.