The loreal, if distinct, is longer than it is deep, and frequently united with the prefrontal.

It has one preocular and two postoculars; the temporals are 1+2; of its seven upper labials, the third and fourth enter the eye; its four lower labials are in contact with the anterior chin shields; the posterior chin shields are one-half to two-thirds the length of the anterior.

The banded kukuri snake is pale brown or orange above, with well-defined black crossbands, which vary in number and in width according to individuals, and may be edged with white; an angular or transverse black band is found between the eyes, with another behind, with the apex on the frontal, and a third on the nape.

It is found in India and Sri Lanka, northwards to Nepal and the Himalayas, where it has been recorded from an altitude of 4100 feet.

This snake is known to occur in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India (Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttaranchal, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka), Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.