Сlassification of Indian swords.

[Nihl]

Originally Posted by rumpel9

I remembered another one of my Indian swords, which can serve as an illustration or a subject of discussion. Can we call him katti?

I don't think katti would quite be the right term for this. If we look at the original definition for the word, katti is supposed to be the generic Malayali term for a knife or chopper. As such, it works if we apply the term to short swords that might function like "choppers", but at least to me this example looks to be too long to count as one. I would suggest the term kirach instead, but I can't actually tell if the tip curves forwards or not.

This sword also has a rather unusual construction. While the blade is quite long, it has the handle of a typical 19th century indian knife (kard/chaku/etc.), making this sword rather similar in construction to a european messer (in that its a sword built like a knife).

Overall, I'd be more inclined to call it a "civilian sword" than anything else. It lacks a more serious "military style" tulwar hilt, and the blade by itself isn't really out of the ordinary for 19th century manufacturing.