What is a Gorkha (Ghurka)?

The Gorkhas of Nepal evolved over a period of several centuries and evolved a caste system similar to India, which if not understood on a basic level, can be confusing. The castes are:

Highest caste Brahman, priest caste;
Number two on the scale, is the Ksatriya, which refers to a warrior caste, known as Chetri;
Third in the scale are the Vaishya, who are merchants etc.;

Fourth and last in the caste system are the Sudra (tradesman), for example the Kami (Kukri smiths) belong to this class.

The traditional Gorkha tribes (generally of Mongolian origin) are recruited along with the Chetri by the British Army to form the Gurkhas. Although warrior tribes, they are not considered as Chetri, they are between Chetri and Vaishya. Listed below are tribes and where appropriate their clans:

Gurung
Gurung clans are; Ghale, Ghotane, Lamchhane, and Lama who are generally priests of Gorkha tribes of Tibetan origin, that have Bhuddist influence.

Magars
Magar clans are; Khancha, Bura, Gharti, Pun, Rana, and Thapa, they are not the same as the Chetri Thapa.

Limbu
The Limbu no longer have clan identity.

Rai
The Rai like the Limbu no longer have clan identity, the Limbu and Rai are known as the Kirati people

Tamang
The Tamang like the Kirati people no longer have a clan identity. In the British Army the Tamang have also been referred to as Lamas in the past, which was incorrect.

Sunwar
The Sunwar clans are; Jetha, Maila and the Kancha who became absorbed by the Rai.

Chetri/Ksatriya (caste)
The British army call them Thakur, but the Thakur are a split of the Shah clan, and should come under the title of Chetri. Chetri is a corruption of the Sanskrit word ksatriya, meaning one of Fighting caste. I have only put down the main Royal Chetri (Chhetri) clans, Shah, Thakur, Khan, Sen, and Mall.

The Chetri are the Royal family line, of which the Shah clan has the highest ranking, and it is where the King of Nepal comes from, for example; King Prithvi Narayan Shah.

Brahman (caste).
They are Nepalese Hindu priests, and the highest clan of Brahman is the Upaddhe (Upaddhya) who play an active role in British Gurkha regiments.

Other people associated with the British Gurkhas include:

Sherpas
Tibetan people who have settled in Nepal, and are the main ones recruited into the Gurkha regiments outside of the main castes and tribes. Other Nepalese people who are also recruited are Lepcha, Newar, Thakali, Punyal, Manjhi, Kumhal and Bhujel

.

Tradesman, Sudra caste. Sunar, who are gold and silversmiths, Kami the kukri maker, Sarki the shoe maker, and Damae the tailor.

The Gurkha and his Kukri

The kukri was first observed by the outside world during the Anglo-Nepalese war in 1814, but where did it originate? Most weapon historians lean to the fact that the kukri had its origins in Italy. However the more one looks at this theory, the more feasible it becomes, as the Greeks copied the basic design, and made it into their own, calling it the Kopis.

So how did the Kopis find its way to India? This was down to one man who was perhaps the greatest leader of all, Alexander the Great, with a driving ambition to match and supersede his ancestors deeds (Achilles). Alexander with his army came into Northern India, crossing the river Indus between 327-325 BC. They conquered the Punjab, which is now split between Pakistan and the Indian province of Rajastan. It is generally believed that the local populace of the time, saw the effectiveness of the Kopis and adapted it to themselves and it eventually became the kukri.

Back to 1814 and by now the kukri would have a completely new way of being used, as no armour was worn when the Gorkhas of Nepal fought the British and the Indian Sepoys under their command. Luckily there was an article written by Rev. Wood in 1896, about the way the Gorkhas attacked the British infantry, and there were two very interesting points. One was that the Gorkhas used a rising cut. This particular cut seems to have been lost in Nepal in current times and in teaching the kukri there, I have re-introduced it along with other techniques. Secondly he states that the kukri was only used for battle and this poses an interesting point.

Initially, I was under the impression that kukris were a general utility tool which also happened to be very effective for combat. However back in about 1980, I was talking to an expert on edged weapons that specialised in the Indian Subcontinent and he said that some Kothimora Khukuries were pattern welded, which meant they were obviously not just intended for every day Jungle bashing! I believe that the kukri that Rev. Woods was referring to were the pattern welded Kothimora kukri carried by the Royalty and other high ranking Gorkhas, who used them as a back-up weapon to their Talwar swords and rifles.

Even before the war had finished the British started to recruit the Gorkhas. The British called their Nepalese infantry “Gurkhas”, and the khukuri was spelt “Kukri” as it is still spelt in the British Army. The Kukri in the Indian Army (which was also under British command), seemed to vary in length considerably in the early days from anything between 12” - 15” in blade length, the 15” with a 4” - 4.5” handle. All except one of these issued blades were purely functional and for general survival and close quarter combat. The exception to that was the Kubo Valley Police Battalion, which had a 15” blade (which was sometimes blued). The other 15” bladed kukri I have come across is known as the Afghan military issue.
However it was not until the Indian Mutiny in 1857, that the Gurkha and his Kukri was truly accepted by the British, and began to gain a high reputation outside of Nepal and India.

Such exploits by Colonel Bahadur Gambarsing (Chetri), whom at Chanda (and then a private), showed the Gurkhas true worth. During the battle he single-handedly captured three small artillery pieces. The last artillery piece was desperately defended by the mutineers, and they counter attacked Gambarsing with Talwar sword and Bayonet, who only armed with a Kukri, took them on, cutting down seven of the enemy.

Defending the piece of artillery, he lost some of his fingers and almost had his left hand cut off, during this action he received 23 wounds in total, including some large cuts on his head from sword strikes, the scars of which remained with him for the rest of his life.

He survived and was immediately promoted to Lieutenant, and his exploits even came to the attention of the British Government, with the then Prince of Wales presenting him in 1875 with a Claymore Sword in recognition of his bravery.

1914-18 The Great War, the Gurkhas enhanced their formidable reputation in both the trenches of Europe and the Dardanelles. The Gurkhas had two basic kukri types in WWI, the Mk I which had a 14” blade and wooden handle, and the Mk II which had a 13.25” blade and panawal handle. Their was also a third version which had a 13” - 13.5” blade with Alloy handle, made by the Maharaja of Jodhur for I believe the 8th Gurkha Regiment.

By the time the Second World War came, there had been some design changes and three basic designs evolved, a 13” inch version of the WWI Mk II, known as the M43, a Horn handled (sometimes wood) 12.5” bladed kukri, and in 1945 a 12” model with a basic panawal handle. However it is worth pointing out that there were many variations of the above kukris in both World Wars. During the Second World War the Gurkhas proved their worth time and time against both the Japanese and the Germans.

Books worth reading are; “Fighting Mad” by Mike Calvert, “Better to Die” by Edward Bishop, “War in Burma 1942-1945” by Julian Thompson, “The Gurkha” by John Parker and the classic “Bugles and a Tiger” by John Masters.

After World War 2, the Gurkhas were immediately in action during the Malaysian conflict, closely followed by Borneo, where the blade length of the Kukri seems to have been reduced to 11”, although some still carried WWII types.

However in Borneo it was not the revolutionaries that were the Gurkhas worst enemy, but the British Labour government of the time, who proposed to cut them from the British armed forces. General Sir Walter Walker (A former top Gurkha Officer of WW2 and later on Chief of Staff in Borneo) heard about this and at great risk to his career in the Army, intervened and saved the day along with the British publics outcry against such a move. The British public and the Gurkhas owe a great deal to General Sir Walter Walker and his unselfish devotion to his beloved Gurkhas.
Since Borneo, the Gurkhas have served in Hong Kong, Belize, the Falklands War, (where their reputation helped a speedy end), the Gulf War, Bosnia, Kosavo, East Tiermore, Sierra Leone and the latest Iraqi war, with great distinction.

To Honour the Gurkhas in the year 2000, they were awarded the Pride of Britain award for their sterling service to the British Armed forces.

We hope that the tradition of Gurkhas in the British Army continues for a long time to come.