Ayudha katti

Ayudha katti (also written ayda katti or aydha katti) is an indigenous weapon of war and tools to the Kodava people of Kodagu, in the state of Karnataka, India. The ayudha katti is developed from an implement used to cut through dense undergrowth. Unlike most blade, the ayudha katti was worn without a sheath.

Origin
The ayudha katti is the traditional sword of the Kodavas. The Kodavas (Kodava, Kannada) people inhabit the Kodagu region in southwestern India in what is now the state of Karnataka. The Kodavas have resided in the area for over 2 millennia. The invention of the ayudha katti probably started around the 17th-century. It was first invented as an implement used to cut through dense undergrowth. The shape of the blade is similar with the Turkish yatagan and northern Indian sosun pattah, which indicate that it is related to the Ancient Greek kopis blade.

During the colonial period, the British referred to the region as Coorg, an anglicized corruption of "Kodagu", which is said to be derived from the Kannada word for "hilly, steep", referring to the geographical condition of the region.

The Kodavas were known as fierce warriors. To protect their sovereignty, the Kodavas made their presence in battles against their neighbors, and later against the British Empire in 1834. In response to a riot near Malappuram in 1884, the British punished the region by confiscating the vast majority of their weapons, including the ayudha katti. It was recorded that 17,295 weapons of which 7,503 were guns were confiscated by the local British administration. Most of these were dumped to the sea, while the high-quality examples can still be seen in what is now the Madras Museum.

Description
Ayudha katti's total length is about 50 cm, but the length varies greatly. There are two known forms of the ayudha katti. There is the "war" form which is mainly used for melee combat, and the "prestige" form worn for daily use. Unlike the prestige form, the war ayudha katti lacks the egg-shaped pommel plate on the base of the hilt. The ayudha katti is one of the rarest edged weapons.

The blade of the ayudha katti measures about 38 cm. The sharpened edge of the blade is concave. The top (the non-sharpened edge) of the sword is initially concave, then it tapers slightly for about a quarter of the length until it becomes extremely convex, and then it tapers quickly straight until the point. The widest part of the blade reaches 9 cm wide. The overall shape of ayudha katti is short and quite heavy. The shape somehow resembles the moplah used by the Muslim population on the Malabar Coast, although unlike the moplah, the ayudha katti is sharpened only on one side and has no medial ridge. Ayudha katti is mostly a chopping tool, a very common weapon found worldwide. It was used for clearing the forest, as an agricultural tool, as well as melee weapon in war.

The hilt of the ayudha katti can be made of wood or horn (usually of the water buffalo). The pommel is a plate with the shape if an egg and is made of same material as the hilt. The hilt is often decorated with traditional geometric or floral carvings.

Ayudha katti is peculiarly worn without a scabbard. It is typically held in the hand, while sitting. In the prestige form, the ayudha katti has a special carrying device consisting of a silver chain that serves as a belt and a large brass ring for hanging the knife in the back of the blade's holder.