Tulwar hilt with kora type blade

[RAMBA]

I agree. There are a number of Kora and kukri that have been traced back to this area.

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by RAMBA

I agree. There are a number of Kora and kukri that have been traced back to this area.

Exactly, and on that note, in discussions a while back there were examples of kukri's which were also mounted with these Indo Persian tulwar hilts. This notable Gurhka influence of course reflects how in the field of ethnographic edged weapons there are no hard line boundaries geographically or otherwise in the diffusion of distinct forms or their elements.

It would be great to see more examples of these hybrids of Nepali and Indian forms, and any provenance details or thoughts on their character. It does not seem we see examples of kukri very much these days, nor even more so, the kora. These are important weapon forms that are rich in the dynamic history of the Indian subcontinent.......lets see 'em !!!!!

[kai]

Hello Jim,

I'd also like to see more antique khukuri (or Nepali blades in general) being posted/discussed!

What are the stylistic indicators that place these examples into the Kumaon region or even Almora/Uttarakhand in general? What is known about the ethnic groups that actually utilized these blades in these regions?

Ok, I'll bite: What about this rather heavy blade (attached below; pics courtesy of Rick)? Does the inscription help?

Regards,
Kai

[RobT]

kai,

This is a Nepalese army inscription. You show it upside down. Right side up it reads: Surjadal Company (Unit) 8, (Weapon) 48, Shree Tin Chandra. The vertical line between the unit number and the weapon number is just to separate the two numbers. The inscription was put there before Chandra's death in 1929. He had a lot of enemies so nobody was going to use that inscription after he died.

Sincerely,
RobT

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by kai

Hello Jim,

I'd also like to see more antique khukuri (or Nepali blades in general) being posted/discussed!

What are the stylistic indicators that place these examples into the Kumaon region or even Almora/Uttarakhand in general? What is known about the ethnic groups that actually utilized these blades in these regions?

Ok, I'll bite: What about this rather heavy blade (attached below; pics courtesy of Rick)? Does the inscription help?

Regards,
Kai

Hello Kai,
Actually the attribution to Almora was speculative, and it was from notes with these photos, so my post was based on that, and as mentioned I was hoping that others would come in with either support or correction to that attribution. Specific and confined attribution of course is not typically likely with ethnographic weapons, especially in the Indian subcontinent.

With the tulwar hilted khukuri, these were discussed numerous times over the years, and guys who were notably authoritative on these weapons seemed to acknowledge there were likely 'souvenir' examples created (most more obvious such as the 1927 Bannerman items) and others which were military or parade/ceremonial.

The use of tulwar hilts from Nepal and into Bengali regions would not be unusual combined with these traditional blades as the tulwar hilt was well known throughout both. It seems military versions of kukri with these hilts were known in Nepal before Anglo-Nepali war 1814-16, so perhaps later examples were somewhat in accord with those, and members with more knowledge on these areas of arms would elaborate.

Thank you for responding, and Rob thank you as well for the insights on the inscription on Kai's example. Definitely look forward to learning more on these!