islamic/indian/nepali knife question

Joined
Oct 9, 2003
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I am having trouble distinguishing between these names

Kard
Karda
Pesh Kabz
Shah Jahan

Can someone out there give me some solid definitions ?
They all look like the same knife to me....
 
Theres a current thread on the Viking Sword Forum (ethnic weapons)
which explains and shows it pretty clearly.
 
1) Karda

The khukuri is traditionally* furnished with a leather covered wooden scabbard holding two by-knives, the karda and chakma(k). The karda is an edged knife usually about the length of the kukuri's handle. The chakma(k) is the same length but is a tempered steel to burnish the khukuri with like a butcher's steel, or to strike sparks off flint to start a fire.

* In rural Nepal, this seldom happens. The people don't have the extra money for scabbard or the karda and chakma. These khukuris are partial tanged, i.e.,
the blade and tang are forged and then the tang is burned into the handle, later to be reset into the now ready handle after hardening, this time using laha ( cutler's resin ) or plastic. These are partial tanged and do not extend through the handle.

2) Pesh-Kabz

Simplest way is to look up Custom Knifemaker Bud Nealy who makes Americanized versions of these blades. The other is to look up Oriental Arms, a company in Israel run by two brothers, I believe.

3) Shah Jahans (Jahan's) is linked to on the Oriental Arms link page. A fellow HI forumite whose name escapes me bought the business from the former owner say six months or more back.

The "Shah Jahan" was a 17th century Mughal ( whence came the term for Hollywood film moguls came from ) dynastic king to whom the Taj Mahal is attributed as having built.

4) Kard - got me beat there. Try Sword Forum International.
 
3) Shah Jahans (Jahan's) is linked to on the Oriental Arms link page. A fellow HI forumite whose name escapes me bought the business from the former owner say six months or more back.


Bill Marsh new owner
 
this picture should help a bit. Shah Jahan was covered very well, but I think this line was a bit misleading, "In rural Nepal, this seldom happens. The people don't have the extra money for scabbard or the karda and chakma". The karda is an integral part of most kukris and sometimes there will be 2 of varying sizes.
3.jpg
 
Hi:

This website has some information on knives that South Asia (mainly India) has produced or been exposed to buring its history. It has some verbal descriptions on the differences between the blades you are referring to (although...no pictures of the ones you desire):

Hope it helps:

http://users.wpi.edu/~jforgeng/SouthAsiaIQP/Arms.htm

:)
 
Mr. Powell,
Thank you for the help. May I ask you another question ?
Is there a functional definition that differentiates between pesh kabz and a kard?
My kard has a handle like the one in your pic, but has a definite T-ribbed blade albeit with a kard profile.
it has traits of both knives.
also, i find it difficult to believe that kard and karda are unrelated words referring to two different knives in the same cultural/linguistic area of the world.
Can anyone offer a possible explanation ?

At the moment, i am inclined to believe that the pesh kabz is a war weapon intended to penetrate chain mail armor and the kard is more of a utilitarian knife that served as tool and weapon, much like the khukuri.


thoughts on this are welcomed!
 
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