The Missing Pages in the HI Catalog

Nicholas said:
And I know about the Murali Bonecutters; it was spotting that thread that alerted me to the model's existence in the first place! And it was precisely because Yangdu said that Murali wouldn't be making any more of those models, that I emphasized Sgt. Khadka's primacy.
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A snappish reply to an attempt to help.

Glad to be of assistance. I won't bother again.
 
I recall some time ago before H.I. began their Bonecutter line, the Kamis created this utterly magnificent khukuri which was a sort-of Bonecutter/AngKhola hybrid.

It was basically a Chiruwa Ang Khola with a somewhat lighter blade and I believe it had more of a point to it also, similar to the point found on a BAS or M43.

As I recall it was proposed to be named the Super CAK.

I'm disappointed these never became part of the regular HI offerings. Had this happened, I definitely would have bought one had a 20" Super CAK appeared on a DotD.

I loved that design!

:(
 
b.c.molin said:
A snappish reply to an attempt to help.

Glad to be of assistance. I won't bother again.
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My reply was not, "snappish"; it was simply an attempt to explain why I had written the text the way I had. If anything, I was trying to sound cheerful, hence my use of an exclamation point in the first sentence. I was not rude to you.
 
Wolf_1989 said:
I recall some time ago before H.I. began their Bonecutter line, the Kamis created this utterly magnificent khukuri which was a sort-of Bonecutter/AngKhola hybrid.

It was basically a Chiruwa Ang Khola with a somewhat lighter blade and I believe it had more of a point to it also, similar to the point found on a BAS or M43.

As I recall it was proposed to be named the Super CAK.
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Yes, I saw a few references to that, but it was a bit far back, I suppose, and so I failed to dig up any pictures or hard data. It does sound cool, though.
 
The written word is sometimes hard to decipher. Especially on forums such as these, When you can't see inflection or body language. I'm sure Nicholas appreciates the help. Let us all just be friends.
 
Karda said:
The written word is sometimes hard to decipher. Especially on forums such as these, When you can't see inflection or body language. I'm sure Nicholas appreciates the help. Let us all just be friends.
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What he said.:thumbup:

I think I'll go back to the original post, and put in a strategically placed smiley......
 
All right, here's some more to work on. I've taken the Bhairab out of the initial "page," and am putting it here, under Discontinued Items. meanwhile, I've found another kukri that is in the Big B's old place now (the Shree Ten Chandra Shamsher), and wouldn't half mind some help learning about it.

--------BHAIRAB KHUKURI
Overall length --25''
Weight -- 76 oz
Spine thickness -- 1/2''
Brass "Bhairab" head buttcap
Brass guard
Copper inlayed on both sides or blade
Satisal wood handle
Brown leather scabbard
Made by Vim Kami
7-25-08v%20001.jpg

According to Yangdu's shop manager, Rajesh, this knife was very rare and historical; used by Nepal King Prithvi Narayan Shah. Its most distinctive feature is an ornate head of brass metal (with an equally ornate, matching guard), which you might take for a lion, but is actually soemthing even more special: the face of Bhairab.
Bhairab, or Bhairava, is the most terrifying and destructive aspect of the Hindu god, Shiva, and one of the most important gods worshipped in Nepal. It is said that he was born when the god Brahma demanded to be worshipped as the Supreme Creator. Shiva, who disputed his claim to this title, then reincarnated himself in the form of Bhairab, in order to punish him. He cut off one of Brahma's five heads, so that the "Supreme Creator" only has four, to this day. The last, Bhairab continues to carry with him.
Yangdu was asked whether they were full tanged, and her answer was "full tanged, mushroomed to Bhairab head." Suffice it to say that it's a serious tang, for a serious blade, created in honor of a very serious being.

HANSHEE
katz-6.jpg
 
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Ah yes, the Shree Ten Chandra Samsher - I really liked what I saw about it, except I wish it was a bit on the lighter side. From what I can make of the khukuri - somebody please correct me if I am wrong - it is modeled after the old style from the 19th - early 20th century style that was widely issued in Nepal. These blades usually came with the inscription on spine of the blade in Devanagri with the title of the Nepalese Prime Minister of that time "Shree Teen Chandra Samsher" which translates to something along the lines of "Honorable thrice-blessed Samsher" (I'll have to check on the exact translation). If you browse the antique khukuri discussion forums (IKRHS, SFI's Antique Kukri Forum) you'll see examples of these old blades. They seem to have come in a range of styles, but were universally big, long, broad-bladed with handles on the stubbier side. HI's version is pretty similar to some of these.

Oh, also, the pronunciation of "Teen" is similar to the "ween" of "between" - hope that helps!
 
Thanks. I just looked him up, and it seems that Chandra Shamsher was hereditary Prime Minister from 1901 to 1929, when he died. So, that pretty well narrows him down to the early 20th century, although I can believe that this Khuk was in use earlier.
 
Yup, from what I understand reading those other forums, sometime during the PM Shamsher's time in office a whole lot of khukuris (I'm guessing mostly service khukuris) were stamped with his title. The experts believe that this included a lot of khukuris that were already around, and not just new khukuris. Thus, you can safely presume a number of these khukuris could easily have been from the 19th century.

Also, I understand after the PM's reign, a lot of these khukuris had these inscriptions scratched off of their spines.

Finally, I think a more accurate translation of his title is probably something like: "Thrice Honored Chandra Samsher."
 
sta94 said:
Finally, I think a more accurate translation of his title is probably something like: "Thrice Honored Chandra Samsher."
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...which seems to come out as "El Supremo Grand Poo-Bah-in-Chief" in any language. :D

Good info; I'll have something written up for this, in fairly short order.
 
Hi, in the spirit of helping out a worthy cause, I ran some searches for the Shamsher model – I’m loving this piece, it is climbing up the chart of my HI-Must-Buys.

What I’m seeing is that most of the Samsher and the Shree Ten (Tin) Chandra Samsher have non-chiruwa handles. A few are showing up with chiruwa handles. While a few older DoTDs describe similar chiruwa handle khukuri simply as Sgt. Khadka Specials.

Big Shree Tin Chandra Shamsher from recent DoTD, the first link photos did not show up on my computer, still including it here because of khukuri specs. The second link has photos & brief review from buyer of this khukuri:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=609175&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=611585&highlight=chandra+samsher


Older posts with the Shamsher and the STC-Shamsher. While the two Shamshers look similar, the STC-Shamsher seems to be bigger and heavier than the Shamshers – one weighs in at 51 ounces! While older DoTDs show the Shamshers weighing in from as light as 27 ounces to 35 ounces. On some of the links photos are not showing up on my computer but including these for the khukuri specs.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=600799&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=457819&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=456065&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=424652&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=359492&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=357498&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337915&highlight=chandra+samsher

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=335505&highlight=chandra+samsher

I think this is the first DoTD featuring the Shamsher, from Dec. 2004:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323955&highlight=chandra+samsher


Chiruwa-handle Chandra Shamsher:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=434930&highlight=chandra+samsher

Chiruwa-handle Sgt. Khadka Special, NOT titled as a Shamsher by Aunty Yangdu (oversight?)
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=386698&highlight=chandra+samsher

Another Sgt. Khadka Special, this time non-chiruwa handle and again looks mighty similar to the Shamsher:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=324788&highlight=chandra+samsher


You may find this interesting – a post from 2005 listing all the lesser-known HI models:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373335&highlight=chandra+samsher


Some historical info on antique khukuri with STCS engraved on spine:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=459184&highlight=chandra+samsher


I hope the above proves helpful!
 
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I Appreciate Your Help

Quite a few of my friends and forumites on this forum are working very hard to update my website with missing
pictures of my knives and some stories you all liked. Their intention is to attract more business for me and to give
newcomers to the forum more pictures to look at then they are selecting additions to their collections.

I truly appreciate your loyalty and interest in promoting HI business, but there is a slight problem that will take a
little bit of time to solve. My inventory is at a low point and the Kamis are working very hard to fill the gap in my
inventory as fast as they can.

Until then, I suggest that all of you move slowly until I can get some shipments from my factories in Nepal. Your
idea is a very good one and I know that you are all working from your hearts on HI and Kamis behalf. But the truth is that, if I
cannot fill orders with my usual speed, it will not help HI business at all.

I do thank all of you from the bottom of my heart. You are loyal friends and forumites I couldn't do business without your
concern and help. Just give me a little time to let my inventory catch up with the real interest in my knives that all
of you are generating.
 
As it happens, we are moving slowly; it's not easy to find the time to do this. Moreover, that last batch of links that I was given adds at least 3 or 4 more items I've never heard of before, so I have to research them from scratch!

Trust me, this project won't be "finished" any time soon.
 
Nicholas said:
...which seems to come out as "El Supremo Grand Poo-Bah-in-Chief" in any language. :D

Good info; I'll have something written up for this, in fairly short order.
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shrii is hard to translate. There is a Goddess named Shri (another name for Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, fortune). In various legends, kings needed Shri in order to be successful as kings.

shrii is also used to translate English "Mr.". So another way to interpret this is "Mr. Mr. Mr. Chandra Shamser" or "Mr.^3 Chandra Shamser"...

In any case, shrii 3 is the traditional title of the Rana Prime Ministers (who until the mid-20th century, were the de facto rulers of Nepal), and shrii 5 the traditional title of the King (who was more or less a figurehead during the Rana PM period).
 
beoram said:
shrii is also used to translate English "Mr.". So another way to interpret this is "Mr. Mr. Mr. Chandra Shamser" or "Mr.^3 Chandra Shamser"...
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One is reminded of the 80's rock band, "Mr. Mister." (Although not intentionally, I'm sure.:))

Meanwhile, having taken about a week off from this project, there are some models, mentioned in sta94's last post, which I haven't heard of, before now:

Bagh Marne
Balance
Bhuduney
Chainpuri
Junge (Junga Bahadur)
Jure Model
Lal Special
Pachthar
Reti
Royal Banspati
Salyan Special
Tezdar
Vogpuri Village Special

I know what "Hanshee" and the "18th century" would be; I simply don't have pictures yet.
 
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