ayudha katti
Ayudha katti (also written ayda katti or aydha katti or आयुध कटि) 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 blades, the ayudha katti is worn without a sheath.
ayudha katti
Metropolitan Museum of Arts · CC0
- Name
- Ayudha katti
- Field
- sword
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Ayudha katti (also written ayda katti or aydha katti or आयुध कटि) 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 blades, the ayudha katti is worn without a sheath.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for ayudha katti. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q792857 · wikipedia · Ayudha katti
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ayudha katti • Origin — Kodagu • Type — Broad blade • Is Bladed — Yes • Used By — Kodava people • Wars — Yes • Weight — 2.5 lb • Length — 50 cm • Width — 9 cm • Blade Type — Single edge • Hilt Type — wood, horn • Sheath Type — wood, silver • Head Type — steel
Origin
Origin
The ayudha katti is the traditional sword of the Kodavas The Kodavas inhabit the region of Kodagu in southwestern India in what is now the state of Karnataka. The Kodavas have resided in the area for over 2 millennia cultivating paddy fields, maintaining cattle herds and carrying arms during war. 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 indicates that it is related to the Ancient Greek kopis blade. During the colonial period, the British named the region "Coorg", a corruption of the Kannada word "kodaga" or "kodagu" meaning "hilly, steep". The word refers to the geographical condition of the region.
Cited works
Cited works
* * * * *
Description
• Illustration — A sketch of the "prestige" ayudha katti with the most common shape of the blade. The length of the ayudha katti varies greatly. Some ayudha katti can reach up to 50 cm long. There are two known forms of the ayudha katti. The 'war' form is mainly used for melee combat, and the 'prestige' form is 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 of the edged- weapons. The blade of the ayudha katti measures about 38 cm long. The sharpened edge is located on the concave side of the blade. 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 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 sword 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. The ayudha katti is peculiarly worn without a scabbard. It is typically held in the hand while sitting. The prestige form 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.
Primary material
Documents and archives
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q792857: ayudha katti
Unverified · Wikidata
reference work
- “Ayudha katti”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
Bibliography printed in the source article · 5
- Atkinson, David J. War Ayda Katti. Atkinson Swords. 2016.
- Gahir. Weapon - A Visual History of Arms and Armor. DK Publishing. 2006. 9780756622107.
- Ganapathy, B. D. Kodavas (Coorgs), their customs and culture. copies available at Kodagu. 1967.
- Stone, George Cameron. A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor: in All Countries and in All Times. Courier Corporation. 2013. 9780486131290.
- Thurston, Edgar. Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume IV of VII. Library of Alexandria. 1909. 9781465582393 PD-notice.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority record
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- AVB-7.62Terminology
- AverruncatorTerminology
- AVMT-300Terminology
- AVS-36Terminology
- Azb REKTerminology
- B-2LM gunTerminology
- B-300Terminology
- B1 CentauroTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with ayudha katti?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.