An Original Nepalese Gurkha Kukri Fighting Knife in good condition. The kukri is the distinctive curved knife traditionally associated with the Gurkha soldiers of Nepal, with a history extending back centuries before its adoption into British military service. Its broad, forward-curving blade was designed as a versatile working tool as well as a weapon, and Gurkha soldiers became particularly renowned for carrying and using the kukri during military campaigns. Following the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814–1816, Gurkha soldiers began serving in British-controlled military units, and the kukri became an enduring symbol of Gurkha service and identity. During World War I and World War II, Gurkha troops served in numerous campaigns alongside British and Allied forces, carrying kukris as part of their traditional equipment. Kukris from the wartime period can vary considerably in construction, markings, and scabbard design, and surviving examples are now collected as historical military artifacts representing the long military tradition of the Gurkhas.