KALARIPAYATTU
S.R.D Prasad Gurukkal
Gurukkal
Gurukkal
Muhammed Gurukkal
HISTORY
Kalaripayattu is an Indian Martial art and fighting system that originated In Kerala. It is considered by some to be the oldest martial art still in existence, with its origin dating back to the 3rd century BCE. Kalaripayattu is often called the mother of all martial arts.
Early written evidence of martial arts is found in Dhanurveda a part of Atharvaveda and Rig Veda and in Sangam literature about Kalarippayattu in the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD. TheAkananuru and Purananuru describe the use of spears, swords, shields, bows, and silambam in the Sangam era. The word – KALARI – appears in the Puram and Akam to describe both a battlefield and combat arena. The word kalarithattu denoted a martial feat, while kalaraikozhai meant a coward in war. Each warrior in the Sangam era received regular military training in target practice, horse and elephant riding. They specialized in one or more of the important weapons of the period including the spear, sword, shield, and bow and arrow. The combat techniques of the Sangam period were the earliest precursors to kalaripayatu. 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.
Elements from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, as well as finger movements in the nata dances, were incorporated into the fighting arts. A number of South Asian fighting styles remain closely connected to yoga, dance and performing arts. Some of the choreographed sparring in kalaripayattu can be applied to dance and kathakali dancers who knew kalaripayattu were believed to be markedly better than other performers. Velakali an art form of the Nayar soldiers from the southern part of Kerala combines elements of Kalaripayat to depict ancient battle scenes from the epic Mahabharata. Until recent decades, the Chau dance was performed only by martial artists. Some traditional Indian classical dance schools still incorporate martial arts as part of their exercise regimen.
Kalaripayattu had developed into its present form by the 6th century, during an extended period of warfare between the Chera and Chola dynasties. Kalaripayattu includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry, and healing methods.[Regional variants are classified according to geographical position in Kerala; these are the Northern style from Malabar region in north Kerala practiced by the Central style from inner Kerala and the southern style from Thiruvitankoor. Northern kalaripayattu is based on elegant and flexible movements, evasions, jumps, and weapons training, while the southern “Adi Murai” style primarily follows the hard impact based techniques with priority on empty hand fighting and pressure point strikes. Both systems make use of internal and external concepts. Some of the flexibility training methods in northern Kalaripayattu are applied in Keralan dance forms and Kathakali dancers who knew martial arts were believed to be markedly better than the other performers. Some traditional Indian dance schools still incorporate kalaripayattu as part of their exercise regimen.
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Parashurama Academy of Cultural Events (PACE) – established in 2010 – with the aim of promoting different forms of arts and cultural events in and across Karnataka and make the benefits of these art forms available for people lives in Karnataka. Currently PACE conduct classes for Kalaripayattu, Karate and Carnatic classical music (Vocal). Yoga, Musical instruments and different forms of dances are in plan and will be started soon.