The grips of kukris are as varied as the knife itself,
but tradition insists a Nepalese kukri has a raised ring near the center
with four or six grooves cut between this ring and the bolster. There are
two basic types found:
[fig. 1a] a single piece of wood
or other material, with a tang that extends through to the pommel or goes
about halfway secured with
laha. Or what is called
[fig. 1b] a
pana butta or
pana walla: this
type consists of two pieces (known as scales) fastened with rivets to a
tang which is the width and shape of the scales.
The shape of the pommel and the extent of the grip’s curve will determine
its origin, and--in the case of military kukris--the model or mark. Scale
grips seem to be favoured more in later Indian models than Nepal, and, when
made of hoof-material, can be confused for light coloured buffalo horn
or even giraffe horn because of the distinctive golden or almost transparent
appearance. The Indian rhino
[fig. 2] and the rare Madagascar
species are identified by the long hair composition that makes up these
horns; the colour ranges from green to brown to grey. When this hair is
bunched up or even seen in a swirled pattern it probably came from the smaller
of the two horns or from a horn that was disfigured early in the animal’s
life by a fight or accident. All of this, like many other products not native
to the subcontinent, came to Nepal and India through the very lucrative trade
routes set up as early as the 1200s by Arabian traders working from the
Gulf of Arabia down through Madagascar. Their
dhows still ply these
ancient sea lanes, and all manner of exotica came from distant ports.
The materials used for the grips were of local walnut (
pat pate),
sandalwood (
chandan) or sisnal, caribou, rhinoceros--as mentioned
above--or giraffe horn, bone, white metal, aluminum (after 1890), brass,
ivory (both marine and mammal), jade and rock crystal. Also to be found are
handles of elaborately engraved gold- or silver-damascened and enamel.
The bone grips are usually lined with wood and may have a pommel-cap
made of the same material, dyed black
[fig. 4], or left
as is. If the bone is of particularly high quality, aged and properly polished,
it may be mistaken for ivory at first glance. One should always check the
material carefully as bone can ridiculously be described as “Bovine Ivory”
[fig. 3a-bone], but will always have small black threads
or lines running throughout which are visible with the naked eye, or better
yet, a magnifying loop. There is bone of high quality that has been prepared
properly--by being boiled, aged in the sun and then highly polished--that,
on first inspection, looks like ivory.
[fig. 3b-ivory]
Some grips may have a silver pommel or have the upper half from the
ring to the butt covered in plain or engraved silver
[fig.
4]. The upper half can also be of ivory or bone, while many have a
distinctive engraved design directly below the ring
[fig.
5].
The
chainpuri style--with its very flared pommel--and the
hanshee
grips
[fig. 6] that are long and slender are the
easiest to identify.
The era of Indian kukris made for officers from 1945 through the 1960s
are worthy of special note because of their excellent workmanship and beauty
of design
[fig. 7]. Made of elephant ivory and mounted
in layers with black horn, these kukris are highly-prized specimens. Amongst
the rarest of these is the hexagonal-shaped design, and named models are
even more exceptional. Included in this group is a version of the M43 and
a named example without the horn layer. Also from India come the wonderful
tulwar (
tarwar) style grips with knuckle guards
[fig. 8]. There are also early Nepalese models that have
a
kora-style grip
[fig. 9] and some cutlass-sized
kukris which have a full 'D'-guard attached.
Bolsters are made of either two pieces of metal, brazed together and
carefully fitted, or a single piece, hammered over a form and then brazed
together. As a loose rule of thumb, if the bolster is made of brass the
kukri was made during or after the 1920s. However, I can find no specific
reason for this since brass was readily available, easy to work and in fact
the chapes on WW I-era scabbards are always made of brass.
There are early kukris with brass fittings, but this is not the norm.
Bolsters have their own design features including being integrated onto
the blade itself, as in the later WW II Mk II and Model 43s
[fig. 10], while others are obviously a separate piece.
Ridges, pieces shaped to fit the grip
[fig. 11], and
elongated refits are just a few of the many styles. There is no specific
design that I can attribute to any particular area or
jat.
When there is a through-tang, keepers vary widely and some are based
on tradition. Many grips will also have a metal or brass pommel plate, and,
if the tang was peened over at the butt, will have another additional piece
of metal to act as a keeper. This piece is found in a variety of shapes
[fig. 12] which are based on tradition. The most typical
is a diamond or square shape called a
hiru jornu ('diamond-joined'),
or sometimes “the eye of God”. There is one school of thought that the four
corners represent the four points of the globe. As the cuts in the wood
may be a sacred number they could just as easily have a practical reason,
either for preventing slippage or to prevent cracking (as these cuts would
relieve the natural stress and expansion of both horn and wood). Some military
models have a full pommel cap that is welded to two small extensions on the
tang. Some older kukris won’t have a buttcap at all, but the tang will be
peened over into the wood or they will have a small tang button to hold it
together.
Although not so readily defined as ethnic groups, there are many other
“oddball” grips which are replacements or just strange styles. Rolled and
embossed/debossed sheets of brass, silver or gold may be attached to a wooden
core and are usually very well crafted with well-made blades
[fig. 13]. Another common design is that of geometric shapes
cut into the grip. These will be of bone, silver or ivory
[fig. 14].
The grip is not only a good indicator of style, but of quality as well.
An important thing to look for when examining a kukri is not only how well
matched the grip and blade are, but also how well the bolster and butt-plate
are fitted. Look for any cracks since these will eventually increase in
size with severe changes in temperature or humidity. Restoring ivory or
the exotic horn grips should be left to a professional, but both the basic
buffalo horn and wooden grips can be fixed with epoxy mixed with the dust
of the grip to be fixed. The technique of putting the entire knife in a 250°
(Fahrenheit) oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour and then wiggling it off can
remove grips held on with just
laha (Nepali 'epoxy'). Putting it back
on with the bolster intact can be more of a problem. Scales are easier to
remove, but you should have the proper rivets when rebuilding your knife.
GARUDA STYLE GRIPS
These interesting and attractive grips represent a divinity very prevalent
throughout Nepal and other parts of south Asia: the
Garuda. Half
man and half bird, Garuda is the favoured mount of Vishnu. Also known as
Bantej, he may also serve as the Vehicles for
Amoghshiddhi who
represents the cosmic element of Conformation. His colour is green and his
recognition symbol is the
Viswa Varja or double thunderbolt found
on
kothimoras.
The
Garuda carvings
[fig. 15] are fairly
elaborate and the eyes will be filled with red lac, semi-precious gems or
left hollow with the shadow acting as the focus. The tongues are sometimes
made of a different material than the grip itself--the grips being usually
of horn. Wood, caribou and even the rarer rhino can be found and, occasionally,
ivory. The blades found with this grip are normally quite plain to emphasize
the art above the bolster. These older kukris may have been carried by a
priest or seer as indicated by something as visible as a grip of a favoured
god, but in the later examples such carvings are just another visual hook
to make a sale.
Also to be found are other grips carved into various animals and deities.
The pommel is sculpted as an animal or revered creature such as the
garuda,
hanuman (the monkey god),
kakasya (a Buddhist guardian goddess
with the face of a crow),
horses and--as pictured here--
singha
(the lion)
[fig.16]. Even the grips of the accompanying
kardas are smaller versions of this green-dyed ivory example.
