Description

A dui chirra khukurī, named so after the two wide grooves in the main portion of the blade.¹ I find the blade on this example particularly graceful, with a slender profile and no clear shoulder but a more or less gradual curve over the spine. The weight and balance are very nice as well.

It has an iron bolster with a ribbed top. The hilt is carved of wood, and the ring and decorative band are carved in high relief. It has an iron pommel plate, secured with three rivets.

The scabbard is covered with smooth leather. It has a brass chape. It retains its karda (little knife) and cakmak (flint striker) but has lost its khisā (small purse).

Dating

It is a hard-to-date type, but this shape pommel that goes from narrow to rather wide appeared in the last decades of the 19th century. Narrow blades with a continuous curve like this appear over a longer period but disappear in the early 20th century. So I'd tentatively date it to the late 19th to early 20th century.

Notes
1. See my glossary article: chirra.