Kukris and Gurkhas: Nepalese Kukri Combat Knives and the Men Who Wield Them

The Gurkhas have been termed the only soldiers who can win their battles on their reputation alone. Weapons shape the character of the men who wield them and two upturned kukris meeting at the top, their naked blades crossing, serve as the identifying insignia of the Brigade of Gurkhas in the United Kingdom.

The Gurkhas were brought to the world’s attention in the nineteenth century, when the territory ruled by Britain’s Honourable East India Company in Nepal experienced a number of bound…