The Nepalese kora sword from the collection of the Lviv Historical Museum: iconography, dating and historical context
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Abstract
The kora sword in the Lviv Historical Museum collection is a unique and rare artefact in Ukraine. However, the sword almost did not attract the attention of researchers. Thus, the article analyzes the historical context of the use of koras in the times of the Gurkha wars and the unification of Nepal under the leadership of the Shah dynasty in the 1750s–1760s. The cultural and religious significance of the sword itself is also investigated. In particular, attention is paid to the religious symbolism of the sword in Buddhism, and in this context to the place of kora sword in the religious practices and ideology of the Nepalese (as well as their neighbours) in pre-modern and early modern times. Often kora swords had images of the eye, lotus, or other religious symbols, which in the case of Nepal had (or could have) both Buddhist and Hindu (tantric) connotations. The sword from the Lviv Historical Museum collection has the image of a solar sign. The broader range of parallels of sword and weapon symbolism in the Buddhist art of Nepal and the Himalayas are drawn.
The article analyzes in detail the main types of kora swords and their iconography. Basing on a comparison with existing objects from the museum and private art collections around the world, the author draws conclusions about the typification of kora swords. Thus it enables to reveal the type to which the sword from Lviv belongs. The analysis of the iconography of the kora from the Lviv Historical Museum including the images on the blade, the features and texture of the metalwork etc, also helps to date this Himalayan weapon and the region of its origin.
The question of history of the Himalayan weapon in the museum, the circumstances of the arrival of the kora sword to the collection of the Lviv Historical Museum requires further research. Museum documents only confirm the arrival of the sword in 1940 from the Museum of Jan III, where it was kept as a deposit. However, there are reasons to assume that the kora sword could be associated with a group of prominent Polish Orientalists who worked in Lviv in the interwar period. The author puts forward a hypothesis about the possible connection of the Nepalese sword, in particular, with Professor Stefan Stasiak, the Indologist and Sanskritologist: the sword could have been brought by S. Stasiak from a trip to India.
How to Cite
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kora sword, Nepal, Buddhist art, Lviv Historical Museum, Stefan Stasiak, Jakub Bujak
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