Home Calendar the e-Kukris Gallery Forum Links Contacts

What is a Kukris anyway? A Kukris, or the Kukri knife, is the national weapon of the Gurkhas. While it is produced in many sizes for many types of tasks, the "dog-leg" shape is constant. The blade swells from a narrow neck into a very broad, down-swept leaf shape, which tapers again to a very sharp point. The back edge is unsharpened and is very thick while the other edge is razor sharp. The steel is of excellent temper, and the great weight caused by the thick back edge makes the knife a terrifyingly effective chopping-knife. The Kukris is accompanied by several myths and legends which help perpetuate its fame: one is that the kukris may be thrown, and returns to its owner's hand like a boomerang after slicing an enemy; the other is that "for religious reasons" the kukris may be drawn only to spill blood, and that the owner must therefore cut his finger each time he draws the kukris for cleaning. Neither is true, of course, but legends continue and, while used extensively within camp to chop and clear brush, it is still the Gurkhas preferred weapon for hand to hand combat, and there are many reliable accounts of enemy heads struck off at a single blow--a very unnerving prospect!