Сlassification of Indian swords.

[Nihl]

Originally Posted by Norman McCormick

Sukhela ? or does this term refer to the flexibility of the blade?

Regards,
Norman.

So "Sukhela" originated as a native term used to refer to pattern welded ("damascus") steel in the 19th century. The thing is, because natives would sometimes describe their swords solely by the blade material, ethnographers ended up mixing up the term with with other characteristics, like rigidity, blade form, etc.