The Gurkha Kukri – More than a Weapon

There are few weapons of warfare that are as romanticized as the kukri – the Nepalese knife of choice.

Consider this. The British at the height of their powers in the early 19th century quickly banished any thought of colonizing tiny Nepal; they tried but were met with resistance by locals wielding their trusted curved knives a little too competently. The colonists smartly befriended them.

So, what is the kukri? Is it just a military tool? Is it a spiritual symbol? Or is it a utility device that has been aggrandized on the back of countless stories of the fearless Gurkha soldier?

Historically, the Gurkha kukri has been used as all three

Made by Nepal’s Kami clan of blacksmiths, kukris are 14–16 inches long on average, comprising a steel blade and a curved handle that can be wooden, metal or bone.

Traditionally, it is a farming implement, used by the country’s rural masses which constitute about nine-tenths of its total population. The kukri can be invaluable in the outdoors, for cutting grass and chopping wood. The knife is also used in the kitchen for peeling vegetables and cutting meat, while proving useful against the threat of robbers and animals.

Gurkha kukris have religious significance as well. At Dashain (the Nepali version of India’s Dussehra), a ceremonial (and larger) kukri is used to decapitate sacrificial goats and buffaloes. Here, the individual brandishing it has to be an expert, for there is a lot riding on his ability to carry out the task efficiently. In other words, a clean decapitation by a single stroke is considered a sign of good luck; get messy with the execution and the villagers are in for a rough year ahead.

Today, particularly to the outside world, the kukri is mainly associated with Gurkha soldiers whose almost-mythical standing as fighting machines has been built on the numerous wars in which they assisted the British forces. Confrontations against the Japanese in Burma during the Second World War are well documented, as are many others.

As their reputation burgeoned, so did that of the weapon the Gurkhas consider an extension of their arm. In fact, prior to the Falklands War, the British, as a propaganda measure, published images of Gurkhas sharpening their kukris. It was designed to rattle the Argentine conscript soldiers, who were well aware of the Gurkha way. It had the desired effect. By the time the Gurkhas arrived the enemy trenches had been abandoned.

Yamini is a versatile Indian writer. She currently writes columns and articles for Matrix Cellular (http://www.matrix.in/), Atlanta Cutlery(http://www.atlantacutlery.com/) and Museum Replicas (http://www.museumreplicas.com/)