How to Identify a Genuine Gurkha Kukri knife?

September 15th, 2021 - The Gurkha Khukuri

The only TWO things that come to my mind when I hear about Anglo-Nepalese war are: the BRAVE GURKHAS and their KUKRI KNIFE. The kukri knife, is just not a term, it’s an icon of Nepalese Gurkha. From the past, people have been seeing many famous knives. However, the kukri knife is well above the others due to its amazing historical roles in the battles. Kukri has been the historical weapon of all Gurkha military units and even for the world. The kukri knife has reflected the glory of the brave Gurkha soldiers.
 
Identifying the authentic kukri knife has been the major challenge. The Typical Design and materials used for construction are key assisting factors to identify authentic or genuine kukri knife.

Identification by design:

Design plays an important role for identifying genuine kukri knife. The blade of kukri  usually has a fine recurve. Talking about the general purpose, the length is commonly around 40-45 cm and weighs 450-900 grams.
Notch present in the kukri knife separates it from others. This notch is called kaura.  Notch connects the end of the handle and beginning of the blade. Notch is termed as kaura as well. This kaura is taken as a decorative Hindu religious and phallic symbol. There are many explanations in the presence of the kaura(notch).
  • One of them describes notch as an aiming sight when it is thrown at the target.
  • Another explanation is that notch helps to prevent blood to flow on the handle and retains good grip.
  • Next explanation is that notch is to catch and neutralize enemy’s blade in the knife fight.
  • Notch is taken as the remainder that it should not be used to kill a cow.
Whatever may be the truth, Notch has been the typicality of kukri knife.

Identification by materials used for construction:

Materials used in a product makes it unique than others. For genuine kukri, dense woods are usually used for handles. The end of hilt is flattened and blade is secured by rivets. The main part of the kukri is the recurved and sharp blade made of steel. The scabbard in the Gurkha knife is traditionally made of woods with leather covering. Two small pockets are also placed at the back of scabbard. The small bade with sharp edge is named Karda and blunt blade is named Chakmak. Both have their own uses. The blunt one is used to sharpen the kukri blade and small sharp knife is used for utility purposes like cutting and skinning. Usually, soldiers cover their scabbard with camouflage material so this can also be used for their identification.
 
All in all, the best thing about genuine kukri knife is that it is hand-made. The variation in size, weight, timber color and other features of handmakes them unique and distinguishable from machine made models. When you are searching for genuine kukri, make sure about above mentioned features. Or, if you don’t want to go the extra mile, just visit our shop at Famous Gurkha Kukri House and buy authentic products.

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