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Some Shastar Websites


Kaljug

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Guest Matheen.

Id recommend the 15 inch one as too long Kokris become harder to weild. Personally I dont like modern type shastar, Id always spend my money on a quality antique.

Me too, but remember that 200 or 300 year old steel is not going to have the same properties it had back then.

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All this talk about kukris made me want to search the net to see if I could see it in action.

This video is the result of that search - don't watch it if you are anti-jhatka :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b5OYhjx-Xg

Bit confused here with Gurkas slaughtering a 'maajh'. With them being Hindus and a maajh being a cow. isn't that some paradox???

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Nothing can compete with puratan shastar - but its an expensive habit!

Kalyug, PM me re the karai - give me a diameter measurement for a kara that comfortably fits your wrist - bare in mind, it should be loose enough to come off quickly enough for 'practical' use, when needed...

Laadlai, check this one out, I am always on the lookout for innovative designs, I have this one on order -because it serves a more flexible purpose for what I practice.. the double edge creates many more possibilities, albeit, at the sacrifice of a little chopping power due to the loss of weight on the top edge of the spine. But this design is better for slashing/stabbing/controlling.

Its a also a beautiful size - I practice close quarter combat, so prefer shorter shaster... getting intimate has much more efficient results! Plus the quality is top class, a beautiful handle and very useful hand guard - which can be used to manipulate and even shatter your opponents blade.

http://www.khukuriblades.com/products/details.php?id=313931fd3d10

Other than that, I am happy to see my brothers taking so much interest, nothing makes me more happy than seeing Singhs with 'real' and quality shastar. But please don't fall into the 'costume drama' or 'collection' racket, have respect for shastar - if you intend to buy them, learn to use them, properly. Learn a real weapons based art - if you are able - try and register for a introductory Bando course so that you know the basics of how to weild a Kukri type shastar. The Barong of the Philipines is also similar to the Kukri and the vidya can easily be transfered - so a few lessons (at the least) from a teacher who has vidy af Barong use would be good too.

You pull one of these weapons out in front of someone who has basic to intermediate fighting knowledge - your weapon will be out of your hand and stuck half way down your skull before you can say 'thats a nice kukri'.

As Nihangs say 'abhyaas bina, shastar manyo bikh'.

Edited by shaheediyan
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True, but isn't it held in the same regard in Indic society?

What is Indic society? But yes, it is held in the same regard by many Indians.

Do the Nepali Gurkhas consider themselves Hindu or is it a term applied by others? It goes to show how ancient cultural practices can conflict with the beliefs of a religion, yet they continue doing it, and think they're doing a good thing.

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What is Indic society? But yes, it is held in the same regard by many Indians.

Do the Nepali Gurkhas consider themselves Hindu or is it a term applied by others? It goes to show how ancient cultural practices can conflict with the beliefs of a religion, yet they continue doing it, and think they're doing a good thing.

I also thought the same thing, but I suppose Nepali traditions differ from those in India perhaps - I have also eaten dried buffalo meat given to me by a Nepali friend, so I'm guessing that its consumption is also permissible.

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'Hinduism' is hugely varied in India, let alone Nepal.

South India is much closer to the original Indic religion and culture than North India - in many places, Buffalo/cow is eaten in South India - which is why you hardly ever see North Indian Hindus grace Tamil restaurants!

In Nepal, it is only the Chumar equivalent workers that may take cattle meat. Other than that - at the holy festival of Dashain,

the Gurkhas believe that Durga slew the demon Mahishasura in the guise of a water buffalo. This is why WB are 'chatkaad'.

Goats are also chatkaad during this holy period at various points. I don't think the Nepalese eat the Buffalo meat, probably give it to the leather workers etc.

Shiva is the predominant form worshipped in Nepal (not suprising).

The Nepalese have a long standing Indian Warrior culture - as do many South and East Indian communities, its a myth when people talk about 'where were the Indian warriors etc during the Mughal times'. The Mughals did not rule all of what is now know as India - they ruled a huge strip stretching along North India, many areas (North of, East and South) were unaffected by Mughals - ancient Indian Warrior cultures still exist in these regions (with their practices).

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'Hinduism' is hugely varied in India, let alone Nepal.

South India is much closer to the original Indic religion and culture than North India - in many places, Buffalo/cow is eaten in South India - which is why you hardly ever see North Indian Hindus grace Tamil restaurants!

In Nepal, it is only the Chumar equivalent workers that may take cattle meat. Other than that - at the holy festival of Dashain,

the Gurkhas believe that Durga slew the demon Mahishasura in the guise of a water buffalo. This is why WB are 'chatkaad'.

Goats are also chatkaad during this holy period at various points. I don't think the Nepalese eat the Buffalo meat, probably give it to the leather workers etc.

Shiva is the predominant form worshipped in Nepal (not suprising).

The Nepalese have a long standing Indian Warrior culture - as do many South and East Indian communities, its a myth when people talk about 'where were the Indian warriors etc during the Mughal times'. The Mughals did not rule all of what is now know as India - they ruled a huge strip stretching along North India, many areas (North of, East and South) were unaffected by Mughals - ancient Indian Warrior cultures still exist in these regions (with their practices).

Shaheediyan, you are right about South Indian Hindus re. beef. I had a friend from Kerala of the Nair caste, and he had no qualms whatsoever about cooking and eating beef. I was quite confused by this and he assured me that beef consumption was at the very least, normal among the Nairs of Kerala.

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Fateh!

Tool and spring steels make pretty good shastar. The only requirement is that the steel is properly treated. 10XX steels can be be differentially treated also so that the edge is hard but the spine is supple (the same principle as japanese nihonto which have natural hamons, or wave patterns, on the edge because of the clay treatment).

Modern tool steels like 9260 make great affordable shastar, IMO. They have the springiness to take a beating but the hardness to keep a great edge. Of course, damascus, tamahagane or l6 are better, but you pay out of the nose for them.

Traditional Japanese swordsmiths make superior blades, but you can easily pay around £10-15k for a good one from a not too famous smith. You can get L6 Bainite blades from around £3-4k which are as close to nihonto as we can get with Western metallurgy. OTOH, you can get a good 1060 katana or a basic 9260 steel one for a few hundred. They'll all get the job done.

See here for some basic steel information:

http://www.sukottoinc.com/steel_guide.php

K.

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yup. ima buy from that other site, seems more legit, himalayan imports

Veer ji, I'd actually suggest getting an affordable one from the site that Shaheediyan recommended so that you can find out if you like the feel of a kukri and want to learn how to use one.

You can always sell it on and get another one from himalayan imports at a later stage in your appreciation of these weapons.

K.

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Many traditional shastar makers in SE Asia use truck springs as a source/base material.

The best traditional weapons for top Kali practitioners are made from truck springs etc, not to mention Malaysia, Indonesia etc.

This is the real world! Poorer countries have always been known for their innovation in sourcing, desiging/engineering and producing!

The proof is in the pudding.

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yeah i'd under normal circumstances buy from shaheediyan's site, but im buying this for my birthday, therefore im allowed to kharch a bit of extra out dad's pocket :P

so unless u absolutely forbid me from buying offa himalayan imports, i think il stick with that :P

in the future i'll probably end up buying more often from khukriblades, seein how they're a lot more nicely priced.

as for learning proper technique, not much of n outlet for that here in cali, no shastar vidiya ustads as of yet, just the gatka akhara. i'm considering taking lessons in some south eastern martial art though, maybe eskrima/kali or some other southeast asian art, i'll do my research and take advice from you guys b4 jumpin onto anything

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For those of you interested in the plethora of excellent and battle proven Indonesian weaponry..

http://traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/Sandata.html

There are some beautiful and innovative pieces here.. the excellent thing about these SE Asian traditions is that they still have a few generational experts remaining - and the tradition is live/fluid i.e. it is not set in time - new weapons or adjusted weapons are being invented all the time due to differentiation in usage (be it subtle) because of new martial knowledge being gained from outside or changing conditions of use etc.

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