Nepal, 1792

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Nov 27, 2001
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I updated the 'Khuk history' page a bit more ( http://www.himalayan-imports.com/khukuri-history.html ), with a quote from Col. Kirkpatrick's Account of Nepal from 1792:
'It is in felling small trees or shrubs, and lopping the branches of others for this purpose, that the dagger, or knife worn by every Nepaulian, and called Khookheri [sic], is chiefly employed; it is also of very great use, as I repeatedly experienced, in clearing away the road when obstructed by the low hanging boughs of trees, and other similar impediments'

and added a nice drawing of a Nepali woman:
<center>
KIRK-nepal-woman.jpg
</center>

a couple of other nice illustrations from the book I'm posting here:
<center>
KIRK-kath.jpg

<b>Kathmandau</b>

KIRK-khookeri.jpg

<b>Khookheri & Khora</b></center>

The full reference for the book, if anyone is interested, is:

Kirkpatrick, Col. William. <i>An Account of the Kingdom of Nepaul, being the Substance of Observations made During a Mission to that Country, in the Year 1793.</i> London: William Miller, 1811. reprinted, New Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 1996.

available from Vedamsbooks: http://www.vedamsbooks.com/33997.htm
 
Thanks - I thought the Kirkpatrick quote quite good, being a sort of 'early praise' for the usefulness of khukuris.
 
Funny quote from Kirkpatrick:
This jungle is infested by bears, which, the people of the country pretend, are to be frightened, and prevented from disturbing travellers, by an imitation of the cry of a goat. (pg. 12)

Actually, sounds like Nepalis having some fun at the expense of the British ;)
 
It is a terrific book since he was the first Englishman sent by the Honourable East india Company to gather information. Also try and track down the 2 volume set by Perceval Landon called, "Nepal" (published in 1928).

I have been using both as cross references to my notes from the Oriental Section in the British Library. Try reading some of the original manuscript for a few solid hours...talk about a headache.

If you'll notice on the drawings that they aren't by him, but an artist's interpretation. That is the reason for the exagerated up-turned tip of the kukri.
 
Is the book still available anywhere that you know of? I think I would like to read it if it can be found. I would like to get it if I can.:)
 
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