Help with Gurkha knife and translation

[Obal7]

I recently picked up this Gurkha fighting knife /kurki. There are no other markings other than an inscription in Nepalese on the spine of the blade. If at all possible, I would like to ask for help translating this inscription. Also dating the knife and of course, if it is original. Any help, thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

[BlackCat1982]

I believe the blade reads as “Three Shrii Chandra: Shree Nath [battalion]: [weapon number] 91.” From the handle I would say it of WW1 vintage.

[Watchdog]

Well, I can't help with the inscription but I expect is is likely a prayer or dedication but could be a makers name etc.

When you ask about originality I suppose you want to know if it is military. In which case, no it isn't. If it were it would usually have some military acceptance / property marks and most likely a date but in any case the blade would be a robust heavy item about 17" long on WWI items (WWII and onwards are shorter) with an equally stout handle. In the case of a British military piece this tends to include a "broad arrow". Indian Army pieces might be different but I doubt it.

The kukri (this is one of the Indian spellings also used by the British, the actual Nepalli spelling is Kukuri) originates in Nepal and is both used as a tool and a weapon in Nepal and India. It is believed to be a derivative of the agricultural sickle.

About 99% of the Kukri encountered are either souvenir/presentation pieces or actually tools for use in a rural environment. Very few by comparisson will be military pieces. The best of these tend to be made in Nepal but many are produced in India too. There are also many modern versions produced for the "outdoors / survival" industry mostly it seems in the US.

Bear in mind that there are Gurkhas in India (civilians too) and the Indian Army has Gurkha regiments inherited from the British Indian Army.

The preferred source of metal for the blade is commonly recycled leaf springs from scrapped vehicles althou in some cases old railway lines ar cut into small pieces of steel stock. Many kukri are still made in crude traditional blacksmith type shops.

Yours looks to me to be probably of the "tool" type and the blade looks quite crude and probably won't hold an edge.The back of the blade should have a single fuller much wider than the two narrow ones seen here. I can't see rivets (should be two) through the handle which are how it is secured tod to the tang and I would expect to see this on a military piece. You don't show a scabbard but this one an early piece (circa WWI) would be wooden construction covered in thick brown leather whith a metal chape and a staple type loop for attachment to a belt etc.

So, I guess the short answer is yes this is a kukri in the same way that any hammer is a hammer but it is not a military item well, not British military anyway.

I hope this helps.

Regards

Mark

[BlackCat1982]

I think it actually predates WW1 Watchdog, definitely not WW2.

[Obal7]

Thanks for the info. The overall length is about 19””. It is very sharp and there are no rivits in the wood handle. And there are no other visible markings other than the inscription.

[BrodieBartfast]

I have this example that looks very similar. From what I understand, these were part of a large haul of knives and Martini Henry rifles recovered from the basement of the Palace of Lagan Silekhana in Nepal. As they were recovered with rifles of Victorian vintage (pre-1890, to be specific) I believe these are Victorian military issue as well. Mine does appear to have a slightly longer blade, although the style and manufacture appears broadly the same. There are no markings on mine, save a single Nepalese character printed on the base of the grip.



Not a piece of my collection I know much about. It was bought with leftover pocket change at a fair a couple of years ago, and has been tucked away in a box with various other bits of bric-a-brac ever since. Not the best picture quality, as it's a photo I took right after I first got it.

Regards, B.B.

[Watchdog]

I think it actually predates WW1 Watchdog, definitely not WW2.

Yep, you may well be right. It's definately not WWI or later and the older they are the more crude they generally tend to be (except those produced for the "high end" of the trade) and those used for military purposes in the early years of service to the Crown would not have been military contract pieces as we know it and would have varied immensely in specification I feel. Very hard to tell the use to which it may have been put.

My point is that there really is no such thing as a "fake" kukri. Because they were and are used in such varied circumstances and that some were never intended as weapons but tools (just like the machette and golok really), they are all "real". It just depends whether they were made as souvenirs or meant to deceive.

@ Brodie. Did yours come from the seemingly never ending supply "found" by World Wide Arms in the Royal Nepalese Armoury? They tend to use the words "style" and "pattern" a lot but never "reproduction"

I bought a Sten bayonet from them in'83. I knew it was a copy and was OK with that because real ones are as rare as chickens teeth but I really had to squeeze the fact out of the guy on the fair!

This is an interesting subject that I don't recall seeing discussed here. My knowledge is only from years of messing with militaria in general and handling literally hundreds of the later types during my own service. So, I for one would love to hear from anyone who has studied the kukri in depth.

Regards

Mark

[BrodieBartfast]

@ Brodie. Did yours come from the seemingly never ending supply "found" by World Wide Arms in the Royal Nepalese Armoury? They tend to use the words "style" and "pattern" a lot but never "reproduction"

I bought it from D&B, who I suspect obtained it from the same source. It was in a box of them, all heaped on top of each other. Had a fish through, and the one I now own was the best condition one I could find. I've seen the photographs from the palace basement, and have no reason to suspect my Kukri is not of the stated vintage. It wouldn't surprise me too much if it wasn't, though. Either way, it's a nice display piece.

And yes, I'm well aware of World Wide Arms' propensity to sell things 'not as advertised'. They send me their catalogue every couple of months, and I have a good laugh at some of the items they have listed as 'original Nazi collectibles'. they're good for deacts, but I wouldn't buy anything else from them without a careful, in-hand inspection.

B.B.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

For your perusal... the top Kukri in the picture of three, is a genuine MOD issue WW1 Kukri. The centre Kukri is a WW1 private purchase 'Ang Khola', and the bottom kukri is a 1930's/40's issue kukri. Note that the WW2 kukri has a slightly more slender blade. WW1 Kukri's are very heavily faked, but yours is not one of them. As previously said, it is a 19th century blade. These Kukri's were once in my collection, but I disposed of them due to my young grandson's persistent interest in them. Better safe than sorry.

[Anderson]

Not a Kukri collector at all, but the inscription as translated by Blackcat if accurate, it would suggest a military piece or Police? Those characters at the end do look like numbers.