Martial Arts of India

A martial art is, literally, an "art associated with the waging of war". India, with its diversity of peoples and cultures, developed a wide range of such arts from ancient times. Once tools of actual warfare, most of these forms today survive in gentler roles: public demonstration, ritual, physical fitness or self-defence. Many are closely tied to dance, yoga and the performing arts. The boundary between combat and culture is often blurred.

A few points worth fixing in memory:

• Meaning: "arts associated with the waging of war". Earlier used in battle, now mainly for demonstration, ritual, fitness or self-defence.
• Links to other arts: several forms are bound up with dance, yoga and performing arts (for example, Pari-Khanda underlies Chhau dance).
• Colonial ban: some forms, including Kalaripayattu and Silambam, were banned during British rule. They resurfaced and regained popularity after independence.

The major forms are best learned region by region, each with its home state, its patrons or legendary founders, and its signature weapon or technique.

Kalaripayattu is one of the oldest martial arts in India. Though practised across much of southern India, it originated in Kerala in the 4th century AD. The word kalari is Malayalam for the school, gymnasium or training hall where the art is taught. The word payattu means the fight or exercise. By legend, the sage Parasurama started Kalaripayattu. He is said to have built temples and introduced martial arts.

Its defining features are:

• Mock duels and exercises: it combines armed and unarmed combat with physical conditioning.
• No music: unlike most Indian performing arts, it uses no drumming or song. The style of fighting itself is the focus.
• Footwork first: footwork is its single most important key, supported by kicks, strikes and weapon practice.
• Open to women: women practise it too. The legendary heroine Unniyarcha is said to have won many battles with it.
• Popular culture: it featured in films such as Asoka and The Myth.

Its techniques carry distinctive names, including:

• Uzhichil: a massage with gingelly (sesame) oil.
• Otta: fighting with an 'S'-shaped stick.
• Maipayattu: body exercises.
• Puliyankam: sword fight.
• Verumkai: bare-handed fight.
• Angathari: use of metal weapons (against Kolthari, the wooden sticks).

Silambam is a form of staff fencing from Tamil Nadu, regarded as modern and scientific. The Tamil kings, the Pandya, Chola and Chera dynasties, promoted it during their reigns. The Tamil epic Silappadikaram (2nd century AD) mentions the sale of silambam staves, pearls, swords and armour to foreign traders. The bamboo staff was a popular trade item with visitors from Rome, Greece and Egypt. From its home state the art travelled to Malaysia, where it remains a celebrated sport.

Key facts on Silambam:

• Divine origins: in Tamil mythology its creation is credited to Lord Murugan and the sage Agastya.
• Four kinds of staves: a "torch" staff with lighted cloth balls at one end, one that produces a swishing sound, a non-elastic staff that clatters, and a short but powerful staff.
• Dress: players wear coloured langots, turbans, sleeveless vests, canvas shoes and a chest guard, and carry wickerwork shields.
• Animal strokes: to disperse a mob the player uses strokes named snake hit, monkey hit and hawk hit.
• Winning: a contest is won by disarming the opponent, by counting "touches" marked on the opponent's body, or by skill in guarding a money pouch. Marking the opponent's forehead clinches it.

Kuttu Varisai means "empty hand combat". It is the unarmed Dravidian counterpart of Silambam and is considered its unarmed component. Note:

• Earliest mention: it is named in Sangam literature (1st-2nd century BC).
• Spread: practised mainly in Tamil Nadu, and also in north-eastern Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
• Methods: grappling, striking and locking. Skills are developed through stretching, yoga, gymnastics and breathing exercises. Techniques include animal-based sets (snake, eagle, tiger, elephant, monkey).

Created by the Meitei people of Manipur, Thang-Ta is an armed martial art counted among the most lethal combat forms. Its name spells out its weapons: thang means "sword" and ta means "spear". Its history runs to the 17th century, when Manipuri kings used it against the British. The British later captured the region and banned the art. It resurfaced after independence.

Its companion form and structure:

• Sarit Sarak: the unarmed, hand-to-hand counterpart, prized for flawless offensive and evasive action.
• Huyen Langlon: the name for Thang-Ta and Sarit Sarak taken together.
• Other weapons: the art also uses the axe and the shield.
• Three modes of practice: a purely ritualistic form linked to tantric practice, mesmerising spear and sword dances, and the actual fighting techniques.

Cheibi Gad-ga is one of the most ancient martial arts of Manipur. It is a duel fought with sword and shield, now modernised:

• Modern gear: a stick encased in soft leather replaces the sword, with a leather shield.
• Arena: a circle 7 metres in diameter on flat ground, with two lines 2 metres apart.
• Equipment: the cheibi stick is 2 to 2.5 feet long, and the shield is about 1 metre across.
• Scoring: victory is decided by points earned for skill and brute force.

Pari-Khanda is a sword-and-shield art from Bihar, created by the Rajputs. The name combines pari ("shield") and khanda ("sword"). Its lasting importance:

• Still living: it is practised in many parts of Bihar.
• Basis of Chhau: its steps and techniques are absorbed into Chhau dance, of which it forms the foundation.

Thoda is from Himachal Pradesh. It blends martial art, sport and culture, and a player's skill at archery is central. Its hallmarks:

• Festival timing: held during Baisakhi (13-14 April) each year.
• Deities: community prayers invoke the goddesses Mashoo and Durga.
• Genesis in Kullu: dated to the Mahabharata, when bows and arrows were used in the epic battle in the Kullu-Manali valleys. The name "Thoda" comes from the round wooden piece fixed to the arrowhead to blunt it.
• Two teams: the Pashis and Saathis, held to descend from the Pandavas and Kauravas. Each team has roughly 500 people, mostly dancers who boost morale.
• Target: archers aim only for the leg below the knee. Striking elsewhere earns negative points.

Gatka is a weapon-based martial art performed by the Sikhs of Punjab. The name is said to mean "one whose freedom belongs to grace". It may also derive from the Sanskrit gadha ("mace"). Its features:

• Weapons: skilful use of the stick, Kirpan, Talwar and Kataar.
• Method: attack and defence are set by the positions of the hands and feet, and by the weapon in use.
• Occasions: displayed at fairs and festivals across Punjab.

Mardani Khel is a traditional Maharashtrian armed art, practised widely in Kolhapur district. It suits the hill country where it originated:

• Focus: weaponry skills, swift movement and low stances.
• Signature weapons: the unique Indian Pata (sword) and Vita (corded lance).

Lathi is an ancient armed form. The lathi itself is among the world's oldest martial weapons:

• The weapon: a stick (usually cane), generally 6 to 8 feet long, sometimes metal-tipped.
• Modern use: Indian police still use lathis for crowd control.
• Strongholds: practised mainly in Punjab and Bengal, and still a popular village sport.

Mallakhamb (Malla Khamb) is a pole-and-rope gymnastic martial art that traces to 12th-century Maharashtra. It uses a vertical pole and rope. The art demands great concentration and strength.

Musti Yuddha is an unarmed art resembling boxing. It originated in Varanasi, one of the country's oldest cities. Note:

• Techniques: kicks, punches, knee and elbow strikes.
• Wholeness: it cultivated the physical, mental and spiritual together. It was popular in the 1960s but is rarely seen now.
• Four categories, each named for a Hindu figure who excelled at it:
  • Jambuvanti: forcing submission through locking and holding.
  • Hanumanti: technical superiority.
  • Bhimaseni: sheer strength.
  • Jarasandhi: limb and joint breaking.

India's wrestling traditions include:

• Inbuan Wrestling (Mizoram): traced to about 1750 AD in Dungtlang village. Strict rules forbid stepping out of the circle, kicking and knee-bending. Victory comes from lifting the opponent off their feet, often by catching the waist belt.
• Malla Yuddha (South India): traditional combat wrestling, kin to other South-East Asian styles such as Naban. Famous practitioners are said to include Siddhartha Gautama and Krishna Deva Raya.
• Kirip / Saldu (Nicobar): also known as Nicobarese wrestling.
• Insu Knawr (Mizoram) and Kirip: circle games. Players use a round wooden rod.

Several further forms round out the map of India's martial heritage:

• Paika Akhada (Odisha): a combination of dance and combat. Once used by warriors, it is now performed as a performing art.
• Sqay (Kashmir): fought with swords and shields.
• Kathi Samu (Andhra Pradesh): an ancient skill once mastered by the royal armies of the state.
• Bandesh (India): an ancient unarmed art using lock holds to defeat and disarm an armed opponent without killing them.
• Varma Ati (Tamil Nadu): strikes aimed at the body's vital spots (varmam).