Kalarippayattu(कळरिप्पयत्ट) is a martial art form which is practiced in Kerala from ancient times. 'Kalari' means an institution. 'Payattu' means fight. Kalarippayattu means the fighting techniques that are taught in Kalari. It is believed that it was brought to Kerala by Lord Parashuram. In ancient times, it was mainly practiced by men of Kiriyathil Nair, Illathu Nair, and Hindu Royal Kshatriya communities. There were mainly three types of Kalaris,
1) Ezhuthu Kalari(एष्ज्युत्त कळरि) - Institution of language and Mathematics
2) Chikithsa Kalari(चिकित्सा कळरि) - Institution of Ayurveda
3) Payattu Kalari(पयत्ट कळरि) - Institution of martial arts
Kalari Devatās
Goddess Durga, Goddess Shree Mahakāli and Sapta Māthrukkal or Sapta Mātrikās were the main deities of Payattu Kalari. The Sapta Mātrikās are Brahmāni, Vaishnavi, Māheshwari, Indrāni, Kaumāri, Vārāhi and Narasimhi/Prathyangirā. The warrior deities were installed in the southwest corner of the practicing room. From the offering of flowers and the Tulasi or Tulsi, this place takes the name Puttara(पूत्तर्रा), the platform of flowers, formed of a series of seven semi-circular steps narrowing towards the top. By the side of the Puttara, to the south is the Guruttara(गुरुत्तर्रा), the Guru's seat, where he sits watching and teaching the pupils.
In the Kadathanad form of Kalari there are six types of salutations. They are,
1) Guru Vanakkam (salutations to teacher)
2) Ishvara Vanakkam (salutations of Deities)
3) Naga Vanakkam (salutations of Serpent Deities)
4) Dik Vanakkam (salutations to the directions)
5) Ayudha Vanakkam (salutations to Kalari weapons)
6) Surya-Chandra Vanakkam (salutations to the Sun and Moon)
The six salutations may refer to the Kalari Deities of that particular style. We find that Naga Devatas (Serpent Deities) and Dik (directions) have their own place in most Hindu Kalaris. In the Kalaris of Nagavanshi Nairs it is a must. Guru and Ayudha salutations are meant to pay homage to the teacher, the embodiment of system, and the weapons, which are seen as the repreasentation of the art itself, or as the Sampradayam.
Training in the Kalaris
In ancient times, Kalaris were owned by wealthy Nair and Royal families. Vilakku or traditional Kerala lamp was daily lit front of the warrior deities. Every Kalari had it's own guru Panicker(Nair Panicker) or Kurup(Nair Kurup) of Kalarippayattu. Only after lighting the lamp and praying to the warrior deities the practice was begun. The Kurups and Panickers gave training to the youth in use of weapons as well as in such martial feats as fencing, boxing, and wrestling. Children who finished their language course joined the martial arts course for getting trained in gymnastics and use of the arms.
Training for Kalarippayattu consists of various techniques and stages. The first stage consists of body exercises. These include twists and turns, leaps and jumps, and poses designed to gain control over various parts of the body. The second consists of training in handling of sticks of various lengths. The third stage consists of metal weapons such as sword and shield, spear, and different types of knives and daggers. Various exercises are performed with these weapons.
Marma
The masters of Kalarippayattu recognize 160 to 220 Marmas in martial practice. According to Kalarippayattu, injury to Marma blocks or cuts the associated with Nadi at the point, interrupting both flows of Prāna and Vāta.
Marma is a point on the body beneath vital structures, which may be physical, subtle or both intersect. Damage to Marmas by trauma from without or by a metabolic imbalance within has severe and potentially fatal consequences. Marmas apparently have been known since Vedic times. Warriors targeted Marmas on their enemies to inflict maximum damage, and surgeons employed the knowledge of Marmas in their treatment of such injuries.
Weapons of Kalarippayattu
1) Urumi (उर्रुमि) - The Urumi which can be translated as “curving sword,” and is also known as a "Nāgapāsham (नागपाशम्)" and “Chuttuvāl (चुट्टुवाळ्)”. The historic weapon was saved from the erasure of time when it was incorporated into Kalaripayattu. Wielding the Urumi correctly and safely takes years of training, learning techniques for everything from bringing the blade to safe stop, to altering the rotation of your swings without slicing your arm off.
2) Vāl (वाळ्) - Vāl means sword. Sword and shield are practiced after the Otta. The sword is the royal one among weapons. In ancient Kerala, Valpayattu took place not only between two persons but also between several persons together at the same. It is noteworthy that nearly 300 technical terms could be found in connection with the sword practice in Kerala, the meaning of several of which are quite incomprehensible now.
3) Churika (चुरिका) - Churika is a small sword. The Churika was the standard double-edged sword medieval Kerala soldier. The Churika, however, is much better suited to the slashing/cutting techniques characteristics of Kalarippayattu than are many of the single-edged pointed types in use today.
4) Paricha (परिचा) - Paricha is the shield used with the sword in Kalarippayattu. It is not like other shields. It is traditionally made of either leather or metal, ranges from 12 to 18 inches in diameter, and is very heavy. It is usually held by passing the arm through the strap or chain fitted around the forearm.The hand then grips the handle. The shield knobs are meant to keep the opponent's sword from glancing diagonally off the shield.
5) Otta (ओट्टा) - Otta is a wooden stick with an S-shaped curve, representing an elephant's trunk. It used to be the foundation for an advanced weapon called Kaduthala. The rounded tip is used to strike the marma (vital points) of the opponent's body. Otta training consists of 18 sequences. Of the first three weapons that kalarippayattu students learn are introduced to, the Otta is considered the most difficult to master. In practice, the Otta is held in reverse grip by one practitioner and in a forward grip by the other. This gives the sparring partners training in both ways of holding any kind of weapon, thus the saying "An Otta expert can handle any weapon".
Advanced practice of Otta requires each practitioner simultaneously to maintain single-point focus through opponent's eyes, sustain open awareness of entire environment, engage and circulate breath/inner energy throughout the body-mind as well as the weapon and ensure the inner energy is "grounded" through the soles of the feet as they maintain contact with the earth.The last and the most difficult of the stick practices in Kalarippayattu is Ottapayat.
6) Cheruvadi (चेर्रुवडि) - Cheruvadi is a cudgel or short stick made from the wood of the tamarind tree. The name refers to its length of 3 chan (2.5 feet or 76 cm). It is taught in the second stage of Kolthari as preliminary training for the dagger. The basic posture has a low stance, with the weapon held in both hands.
Cheruvadi is held in the right hand a few inches from the end and is used for striking and guarding only.
7) Shareeravadi (शरीरवडि) - The Shareeravadi is a long rattan staff ideally measuring the same length as the distance from the wielder's neck to the feet. It is practiced as the basics of using a spear, and the commands used for the Shareeravadi are the same as the spear commands.
Shareeravadi is held at or near one end by one or both hands; the distance between the hands is altered constantly and is the end of the stick, which is grasped by one now by another end by either hand as occasion may be required; sometimes it is grasped in the middle.
8) Gada (गदा) - The 'Gada' or mace is a weapon made of certain types of wood, which would not break even when hit upon by very heavy blows. Usually, in the Kalari, the 'Gada' as shown in the picture is used. It has a globe-shaped head and a long rounded wooden handle tapering towards the end opposite to the head, where the weapon is held. The end of the narrow handle is made slightly wider with a bud-like projection so that the weapon would not slip out of the hand.
9) Ponthi (पोन्ति) - Ponthi is small club or mace. The use of the Ponthi is mentioned in a Grantha entitled Kalari Vidya.
Puliyankam(पुलियंकम्)
Puliyankam means the fight of tigers. Puliyankam is a kind of sword fight popular in southern India. It is the most awe-inspiring and blood-curdling. In the Puliyankam, the combatants fight like tigers. During this fight, the combatants have to turn and twist their bodies in all possible ways and leap and jump with surprising ease and agility. Extraordinary control over the body, agility, a quick eye, and presence of mind are necessary for the mastery of this form of the sword fight.
Data were collected from Wikipedia, www.india9.com, Oh Terrifying Mother: The Mudiyettu Ritual Drama of Kerala by Sarah Caldwell, South India - Volume 1, Kerala History and its Makers By Shri.A. Sreedhara Menon, Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity by Robert E Svoboda, Sangeet Natak, Issues 83-86, Kalarippayattu: the ancient martial art of Kerala by Shri.P.I.Balakrishnan, Castes and Tribes of Southern India - Volume 2 by Edgar Thurston and Shri.Kandur Rangachari, Psychophysical Acting: An Intercultural Approach after Stanislavski by Phillip B. Zarrilli, Black Belt Aug 1982, Indo-German Review: A Monthly Record of Cultural and Commercial Ties Between India and Germany - Volume 8, CCE Awareness Environmental Studies-5 by Sushri.Abha Sahgal, Indian Folklore Research Journal - Issues 2-5 and www.atlasobscura.com, Kalarippayat By Dick Luijendijk.
1) Ezhuthu Kalari(एष्ज्युत्त कळरि) - Institution of language and Mathematics
2) Chikithsa Kalari(चिकित्सा कळरि) - Institution of Ayurveda
3) Payattu Kalari(पयत्ट कळरि) - Institution of martial arts
Kalari Devatās
Goddess Durga, Goddess Shree Mahakāli and Sapta Māthrukkal or Sapta Mātrikās were the main deities of Payattu Kalari. The Sapta Mātrikās are Brahmāni, Vaishnavi, Māheshwari, Indrāni, Kaumāri, Vārāhi and Narasimhi/Prathyangirā. The warrior deities were installed in the southwest corner of the practicing room. From the offering of flowers and the Tulasi or Tulsi, this place takes the name Puttara(पूत्तर्रा), the platform of flowers, formed of a series of seven semi-circular steps narrowing towards the top. By the side of the Puttara, to the south is the Guruttara(गुरुत्तर्रा), the Guru's seat, where he sits watching and teaching the pupils.
In the Kadathanad form of Kalari there are six types of salutations. They are,
1) Guru Vanakkam (salutations to teacher)
2) Ishvara Vanakkam (salutations of Deities)
3) Naga Vanakkam (salutations of Serpent Deities)
4) Dik Vanakkam (salutations to the directions)
5) Ayudha Vanakkam (salutations to Kalari weapons)
6) Surya-Chandra Vanakkam (salutations to the Sun and Moon)
The six salutations may refer to the Kalari Deities of that particular style. We find that Naga Devatas (Serpent Deities) and Dik (directions) have their own place in most Hindu Kalaris. In the Kalaris of Nagavanshi Nairs it is a must. Guru and Ayudha salutations are meant to pay homage to the teacher, the embodiment of system, and the weapons, which are seen as the repreasentation of the art itself, or as the Sampradayam.
Training in the Kalaris
In ancient times, Kalaris were owned by wealthy Nair and Royal families. Vilakku or traditional Kerala lamp was daily lit front of the warrior deities. Every Kalari had it's own guru Panicker(Nair Panicker) or Kurup(Nair Kurup) of Kalarippayattu. Only after lighting the lamp and praying to the warrior deities the practice was begun. The Kurups and Panickers gave training to the youth in use of weapons as well as in such martial feats as fencing, boxing, and wrestling. Children who finished their language course joined the martial arts course for getting trained in gymnastics and use of the arms.
Training for Kalarippayattu consists of various techniques and stages. The first stage consists of body exercises. These include twists and turns, leaps and jumps, and poses designed to gain control over various parts of the body. The second consists of training in handling of sticks of various lengths. The third stage consists of metal weapons such as sword and shield, spear, and different types of knives and daggers. Various exercises are performed with these weapons.
Marma
The masters of Kalarippayattu recognize 160 to 220 Marmas in martial practice. According to Kalarippayattu, injury to Marma blocks or cuts the associated with Nadi at the point, interrupting both flows of Prāna and Vāta.
Marma is a point on the body beneath vital structures, which may be physical, subtle or both intersect. Damage to Marmas by trauma from without or by a metabolic imbalance within has severe and potentially fatal consequences. Marmas apparently have been known since Vedic times. Warriors targeted Marmas on their enemies to inflict maximum damage, and surgeons employed the knowledge of Marmas in their treatment of such injuries.
Weapons of Kalarippayattu
1) Urumi (उर्रुमि) - The Urumi which can be translated as “curving sword,” and is also known as a "Nāgapāsham (नागपाशम्)" and “Chuttuvāl (चुट्टुवाळ्)”. The historic weapon was saved from the erasure of time when it was incorporated into Kalaripayattu. Wielding the Urumi correctly and safely takes years of training, learning techniques for everything from bringing the blade to safe stop, to altering the rotation of your swings without slicing your arm off.
2) Vāl (वाळ्) - Vāl means sword. Sword and shield are practiced after the Otta. The sword is the royal one among weapons. In ancient Kerala, Valpayattu took place not only between two persons but also between several persons together at the same. It is noteworthy that nearly 300 technical terms could be found in connection with the sword practice in Kerala, the meaning of several of which are quite incomprehensible now.
3) Churika (चुरिका) - Churika is a small sword. The Churika was the standard double-edged sword medieval Kerala soldier. The Churika, however, is much better suited to the slashing/cutting techniques characteristics of Kalarippayattu than are many of the single-edged pointed types in use today.
4) Paricha (परिचा) - Paricha is the shield used with the sword in Kalarippayattu. It is not like other shields. It is traditionally made of either leather or metal, ranges from 12 to 18 inches in diameter, and is very heavy. It is usually held by passing the arm through the strap or chain fitted around the forearm.The hand then grips the handle. The shield knobs are meant to keep the opponent's sword from glancing diagonally off the shield.
5) Otta (ओट्टा) - Otta is a wooden stick with an S-shaped curve, representing an elephant's trunk. It used to be the foundation for an advanced weapon called Kaduthala. The rounded tip is used to strike the marma (vital points) of the opponent's body. Otta training consists of 18 sequences. Of the first three weapons that kalarippayattu students learn are introduced to, the Otta is considered the most difficult to master. In practice, the Otta is held in reverse grip by one practitioner and in a forward grip by the other. This gives the sparring partners training in both ways of holding any kind of weapon, thus the saying "An Otta expert can handle any weapon".
Advanced practice of Otta requires each practitioner simultaneously to maintain single-point focus through opponent's eyes, sustain open awareness of entire environment, engage and circulate breath/inner energy throughout the body-mind as well as the weapon and ensure the inner energy is "grounded" through the soles of the feet as they maintain contact with the earth.The last and the most difficult of the stick practices in Kalarippayattu is Ottapayat.
6) Cheruvadi (चेर्रुवडि) - Cheruvadi is a cudgel or short stick made from the wood of the tamarind tree. The name refers to its length of 3 chan (2.5 feet or 76 cm). It is taught in the second stage of Kolthari as preliminary training for the dagger. The basic posture has a low stance, with the weapon held in both hands.
Cheruvadi is held in the right hand a few inches from the end and is used for striking and guarding only.
7) Shareeravadi (शरीरवडि) - The Shareeravadi is a long rattan staff ideally measuring the same length as the distance from the wielder's neck to the feet. It is practiced as the basics of using a spear, and the commands used for the Shareeravadi are the same as the spear commands.
Shareeravadi is held at or near one end by one or both hands; the distance between the hands is altered constantly and is the end of the stick, which is grasped by one now by another end by either hand as occasion may be required; sometimes it is grasped in the middle.
8) Gada (गदा) - The 'Gada' or mace is a weapon made of certain types of wood, which would not break even when hit upon by very heavy blows. Usually, in the Kalari, the 'Gada' as shown in the picture is used. It has a globe-shaped head and a long rounded wooden handle tapering towards the end opposite to the head, where the weapon is held. The end of the narrow handle is made slightly wider with a bud-like projection so that the weapon would not slip out of the hand.
9) Ponthi (पोन्ति) - Ponthi is small club or mace. The use of the Ponthi is mentioned in a Grantha entitled Kalari Vidya.
Puliyankam(पुलियंकम्)
Puliyankam means the fight of tigers. Puliyankam is a kind of sword fight popular in southern India. It is the most awe-inspiring and blood-curdling. In the Puliyankam, the combatants fight like tigers. During this fight, the combatants have to turn and twist their bodies in all possible ways and leap and jump with surprising ease and agility. Extraordinary control over the body, agility, a quick eye, and presence of mind are necessary for the mastery of this form of the sword fight.
Data were collected from Wikipedia, www.india9.com, Oh Terrifying Mother: The Mudiyettu Ritual Drama of Kerala by Sarah Caldwell, South India - Volume 1, Kerala History and its Makers By Shri.A. Sreedhara Menon, Ayurveda: Life, Health and Longevity by Robert E Svoboda, Sangeet Natak, Issues 83-86, Kalarippayattu: the ancient martial art of Kerala by Shri.P.I.Balakrishnan, Castes and Tribes of Southern India - Volume 2 by Edgar Thurston and Shri.Kandur Rangachari, Psychophysical Acting: An Intercultural Approach after Stanislavski by Phillip B. Zarrilli, Black Belt Aug 1982, Indo-German Review: A Monthly Record of Cultural and Commercial Ties Between India and Germany - Volume 8, CCE Awareness Environmental Studies-5 by Sushri.Abha Sahgal, Indian Folklore Research Journal - Issues 2-5 and www.atlasobscura.com, Kalarippayat By Dick Luijendijk.
