2. India is home to a variety of fighting styles.In
Sanskrit they may be collectively referred to
as śastravidyā or dhanurvidya.
The former is a compound of the words
śastra (weapon) and vidyā
(knowledge), meaning "knowledge of weapon"
or "knowledge of the bow".
The latter term derives from the words for
bow (dhanushya) and knowledge
(veda), literally the "science of archery" in
Puranic literature, later applied to martial arts
in general.
3. In Tamil, they are known by the umbrella
terms kaḷarik kalai (Tamil: ) "art
of the battleground" or taṟkāppuk kalai
( ) "art of self-defence
Legend has it that Lord Siva taught this art
form to his son Lord Murugan and Lord
Murugan taught this art to the sage
Agastya, foremost of the Siddhar's, during the
times of Sangam Literature. He transferred
the knowledge of this art to other Siddhar's
and he also wrote treatises on this art in
Tamil.
4. Antiquity (pre-Gupta).Indian epics contain
accounts of combat, both armed and bare-
handed. The Mahabharata describes a
prolonged battle between Arjuna and Karna
using bows, swords, trees, rocks and fists.
Another unarmed battle in the Mahabharata
describes two combatants boxing with
clenched fists and fighting with kicks, finger
strikes, knee strikes and head butts.
Krishna Maharaja, whose battlefield exploits
are alluded to in the Mahabharata, is credited
with developing the sixteen principles of
śastravidyā.
5. Written evidence of martial arts in Southern India
dates back to the Tamil Sangam literature of
about the 2nd century BC to the 2nd century AD.
The Akananuru and Purananuru describe the use
of spears, swords, shields, bows and silambam in
the Sangam era.
The word kalari appears in the Puram (verses 225,
237, 245, 356) and Akam (verses 34, 231, 293) to
describe both a battlefield and combat arena. The
word kalari tatt denoted a martial feat, while
kalari kozhai meant a coward in war.
Each warrior in the Sangam era received regular
military training in target practice and horse
riding
6. They specialized in one or more of the
important weapons of the period including
the spear (vel), sword (val), shield (kedaham),
and bow and arrow (vil ambu).
The combat techniques of the Sangam period
were the earliest precursors to kalaripayat.
References to "Silappadikkaram" in Sangam
literature date back to the 2nd century. This
referred to the silambam staff which was in
great demand with foreign visitors
7. The Sushruta Samhita (c. 4th century)
identifies 107 vital points on the human body
of which 64 were classified as being lethal if
properly struck with a fist or stick.[ Sushruta's
work formed the basis of the medical
discipline ayurveda which was taught
alongside various Indian martial
arts, especially those that had an emphasis
on vital points such as varma kalai.
With numerous other scattered references to
vital points in Vedic and epic sources, it is
certain that India's early fighters knew and
practiced attacking or defending vital points.
8. Martial arts were not exclusive to the kshatriya
caste, though the warrior class used them more
extensively.
The 8th century text Kuvalaymala by
Udyotanasuri recorded fighting techniques being
taught at ghatika and salad educational
institutions, where non-Kshatriya students from
throughout the subcontinent (particularly from
South India, Rajasthan and Bengal) "were learning
and practicing archery, fighting with sword and
shield, with daggers, sticks, lances, and with
fists, and in duels (niuddham)".
Hindu priests of the Gurukullam institutions also
taught armed and unarmed fighting techniques
to their students as a way of increasing stamina
and training the physical body.
9. Gujarat Pratihar Age (6–11 centuries)
The Gurjara dynasty which belonged to Suryavansha and
Chandravansh practised various fighting systems.
Armed styles called shastravidya, archery called
dhanurvidya, swordsmanship called khadgavidya, fighting
on horseback called ashwarohana, and fighting on
elephants called gajarohana were extensively perfected
and widely practised.
Unarmed combat arts were wrestling called
mallayuddha, and its sporting form called
mallakrida, whereas the striking art utilising mainly
punching and kicking but also secondarly grappling was
called mushtiyuddha. Vajramushti and its variant called
lohmushti ( meaning iron fist) were only practiced by
royalty and nobility.
Because of their intense martial culture and adherence to
Kshatriya Dharma as propounded in Bhagvada Gita and
Vedic Dharmaśāstra only, they were able to defeat Arab
invasions continuously especially in Battle of Rajasthan
while Europe and Central Asia failed in defending
themselves while also amass largest empire at that time in
India.
10. Middle Ages (11th to 15th centuries)
The earliest treatise discussing the
techniques of malla-yuddha is the Malla
Purana (ca. 13th century). Other old styles
like varma kalai, and kalaripayat had
developed into their present forms by the
11th century, during an extended period of
warfare between the Chera and Chola
dynastie
11. Paika Rebellion of Khurda (1817)
Paika is the Oriya word for fighter or warrior (Padatika
Bahini). Their style of fighting, known as paika
akhada, can be traced back to ancient Kalinga and
was at one time patronised by King Kharavela. In
March 1817, under the leadership of Buxi Jagabandhu
Bidyadhar Mohapatra, nearly 400 Khanda of
Ghumusar in Ganjam marched towards Khurda in
protest against British colonial rule.
Many government buildings were burnt down and all
the officials fled. The British commander of one
detachment was killed during a battle at Gangpada.
The paika managed to capture two bases at Puri and
Pipli before spreading the rebellion further to
Gop, Tiran, Kanika and Kujang.
The revolt lasted a year and a half before being
quelled by September 1818.With the rebellion put
down, the colonists were more vigorous in their
attempts to stamp out the martial practices of
Orissa..
12. Mughal era (1526 to 1857)
The khanda, a native straight sword
After a series of victories, the conqueror Babur
established Mughal rule in North India during the
16th century. The Mughals, Persians of Mongol
descent, practiced martial techniques such as
wrestling and mounted archery. By combining
indigenous malla-yuddha with Persian varzesh-
e-bastani and Mongolian wrestling they created
the grappling style pehlwani which has remained
popular until today, particularly among Muslims.
The Ausanasa Dhanurveda Sankalanam dates to
the late 16th century, compiled under the
patronage of Akbar. There is also a 17th-century
Dhanurveda-samhita attributed to Vasistha.
13. Modern period (1857 to present)
Indian martial arts underwent a period of
decline after the full establishment of British
colonial rule in the 19th century.More
European modes of organizing police, armies
and governmental institutions, and the
increasing use of firearms, gradually eroded
the need for traditional combat training
associated with caste-specific duties.[7] The
British colonial government banned
kalaripayat in 1804 in response to a series of
revolts. Silambam was also banned and
became more common in the Malay Peninsula
than its native Tamil Nadu.
14. During this time, many fighting systems
were confined to rural areas. A few became
merely performance arts, such as karra samu
(stick fighting) and kathi samu (sword
fighting) from Andhra Pradesh. The
resurgence of public interest in kalaripayat
began in the 1920s in Tellicherry as part of a
wave of rediscovery of the traditional arts
throughout south India which characterized
the growing reaction against British colonial
rule.[7] During the following three
decades, other regional styles were
subsequently revived such as silambam in
Tamil Nadu, thang-ta in Manipur and Paika
Akhada in Orissa[
15.
16. Though Varma Kalai has its own form of katas known as
guru salavarisai, salavarisai (various form) and tani-
salavarisai (advance) with his procedures, it was closely
assorted with Silambam's component Kuttu varisai and
Kalaripayattu. Salavarisai is also known as salam-
varisai, means 'way of greetings or respects'. Knowledge of
Varma Kalai was considered vital in both arts to become a
Grand Master. The teachers were called as Aasan (Tamil:
) and the grand masters were called as Periyaasan
(Tamil: ) or Iyan (Tamil: ).
Historically, Varma Kalai has been one of the arts taught to
those of royal blood.However, even royalty were required
to pass the stringent requirements for discipleship. The
schools received nivandhanams (donation with high
respect) from the Kings of Tamil Kingdom
(Chera, Chola, Pandya and Pallava. Aasan and Periyaasan
of Varma Kalai were highly respected
17. Varma Kalai teachers are highly selective in their
choice of students. Disciples must meet a
number of criteria; beyond martial arts
competence they are required to have an
understanding of biology, mathematics, political
science, astronomy, physics, chemistry, Saamuthr
iga Lakshanam, Yoga, military
tactics, horsmanship, elephant
riding, charioteering and Hindu philosophy
(Saiva, Vaisnava, Saktha, Koumara, Boutha, Sama
na) etc.
The Varma Kalai martial artist is not allowed to
teach the art to others until he receives Deeksha
from his Aasan or Periyaasan as in recognition of
him as an Aasan.
18. Varma Kalai is classified into 4 types:
Thodu Varmam
96 Vital Points triggered by a touch. Not deadly,
but will affect the victim by disabling the body,
organ movements and function.
Padu Varmam
12 Vital Points that are fatal, causing immediate,
severe effects upon the victim.
Thattu Varmam
Decisive Vital points that are used by the master.
These are kept confidential until the master pass
on the knowledge to the selected disciple .
Nooku Varmam (also known as) Meitheenda Kalai
Triggering vital points by focusing/
concentrating on the target. It takes several years
of practice for one to become an expert in Nooku
Varmam.
19. Uuthu Varmam
Vital Points triggered by a blow of air from
mouth. For example, by chewing Garlic and
blow the air into ears to trigger the varmam
point for recovery from heat. Not deadly, but
will affect the victim (usually used for
disabling / recovery / healing from varmam
attacks).
Nakku Varmam
Vital Points triggered by licking at sensitive
organ such as eyes. Not deadly, but will affect
the victim (usually used for disabling /
recovery / healing from varmam attacks).
20. Oral folklore ascribes the creation of kalari payat
to the Hindu gods. It was first documented
around the 11th or 12th century AD by the
historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai, who attributed
its creation to an extended period of warfare that
took place between the Chera and the Chola
dynasties in the 11th century.
Kalari payat became more developed during the
9th century and was practiced by a section of the
Hindu community, warrior clan of Kerala, to
defend the state and the king. In the 11th and
12th century, Kerala was divided into small
principalities that fought one-to-one wars
among themselves.
23. Kuttu varisai (Tamil: is the
unarmed component of silambam (Tamil:
and Varma Kalai (Tamil:
a Dravidian martial art from
Tamil Nadu in south India but also practiced by
the Tamil people of Malaysia and northeast Sri
Lanka.
Techniques incorporate
striking, grappling, throws and locks. Strikes
make use of almost every part of the body such
as the fists, elbows, feet, knees, etc. Like many
other Asian martial arts, patterns in kuttu varisai
make use of animal-based sets including the
tiger, snake, elephant, eagle and monkey forms.
Advanced students are taught the art of pressure
point fighting called varma kalai.
24. The whole body is used to create power. In
Kuttu Varisai, gymnastic, stretching
(yoga), and breathing exercises are
conducted before training.It is also said that
Bodhidharma (the founder of ZEN buddhism)
was very good at this art.
He travelling way towards Nepal, Tibet and
China he observed fights between
monkeys, snakes and other animals.
Than he implemented this to kuttu varisai
and gave a start to the Chinese Martial Art
which we now call as "Kung Fu". Kuttu Varisai
is one of the ancient arts of India which is
dying.
25.
26. Vajra-musti (Sanskrit: thunder fist"
or "diamond fist") refers to a knuckleduster-
like weapon and also the name of ancient
Indian martial art practiced by a class of
wrestlers known as Jyeṣṭīmalla.
The weapon is sometimes called bhukhandi
or Indra-mukti which means Indra's fist.
