Since 1763 the Nepalese Gurkha army has been a well trained, dedicated and disciplined military group. They are famous for their brutality and fearlessness of death. Each Gurkha carries one of these knives similar to the machete, used as both a tool and as a weapon. It is a part of the regimental weaponry and heraldry of the Gurkha army, and is used in many traditional rituals This knife is a symbolic weapon, signifying the courage and valor of the bearer in the battlefield. It is known to many people as simply the "Gurkha blade" or "Gurkha knife".