Kalarippayattu stick fighting

The tradition & historical record

Kalaripayattu (Malayalam: [kɐɭɐɾipːɐjɐtːɨ̆]), also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala during the 11th–12th centuries CE. ¹

Kalaripayattu is a martial art which developed out of combat techniques of the 11th–12th century battlefield, with weapons and combative techniques that are unique to Kerala. The word Kalaripayattu is a combination of two Malayalam words – kalari (training ground or battleground) and payattu (training of martial arts), which is roughly translated as "practice in the arts of the battlefield." Kalari may also be derived from the Malayalam or Sanskrit term Khaloorika, which is the name of a goddess associated with Shaktism who is worshipped in Kalaripayattu. The Kamika Agama 5th century CE South Indian ancient text from the Shaiva Agama tradition, discusses the construction of the Khaloorika as a place for military exercise. ¹

According to legend, Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, learned the art from Shiva, and taught it to the original settlers of Kerala shortly after bringing Kerala up from the ocean floor. A song in Malayalam refers to Parashurama's creation of Kerala, and credits him with the establishment of the first 108 kalaris throughout Kerala, along with the instruction of the first 21 Kalaripayattu gurus in Kerala on the destruction of enemies. According to another legend, Ayyappa, a war deity from Kerala, learned Kalaripayattu in the Cheerappanchira Kalari in Muhamma. ¹

According to Philip Zarrilli, the Dravidian combat techniques of the Sangam period (600 BCE – 300 CE) and Sanskritic Dhanur Vedic traditions were the earliest precursors to Kalaripayattu. 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 (vel), sword (val), shield (kedaham), and bow and arrow (vil ambu). ¹

According to Zarrilli, Kalaripayattu has been practiced "since at least the twelfth century" CE. During the 11th century, the second Chera kingdom fought a century-long war with the Chola kingdom, which ended with disintegration of the Chera kingdom. During this period, military combat training was compulsory, and according to Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai, Kalaripayattu took shape in this period. According to historian A. Sreedharan Menon, Kalaripayattu was among the most important aspects of feudal Keralite society, as it helped impart military training and Spartan-like discipline amongst the youth of Kerala, irrespective of caste, community or sex. Each village in late medieval Kerala had its own kalari, which contained a presiding deity known as Bhagavathy or Paradevata. Children in Kerala who finished their education in local schools would join their local kalari to receive further military training. This was especially common amongst martial sects of various communities in Kerala, such as the Nairs and Thiyyars. The local legendary poems of Kerala, popularly known as Vadakkan Pattu, have been passed down through oral tradition and describe the deeds of warriors, indicating the practice of Kalarippayattu. These ballads, dating back as early as the 12th century, depict a social system in which every youth was required to undergo martial training. In the late medieval period Kalaripayattu extended into the Kerala practice of ankam ("combat" or "battle" in Malayalam) as a way to settle disputes that could not be settled by local governmental assemblies. A variant of ankam, called poithu was also practiced, and was a duel between two individuals. ¹

In 1498, a Portuguese fleet under Vasco da Gama discovered a new sea route from Europe to India, which paved the way for direct Indo-European commerce. The next to arrive were the Dutch, with their main base in Ceylon. They established ports in Malabar. Following the Dutch came the British, who established the port of Surat in 1619. Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese explorer who visited Kerala in the 16th century, noted that the physical exercise complexes of the Nairs and Thiyyars created a network of martial culture in Malabar, created a network of martial culture in Malabar, and wrote about Nair military training in Kalaripayattu: ¹

The more part of Nayars (Nairs), when they are seven years of age, are sent to schools, where they are taught many tricks of nimbleness and dexterity; there they teach them to dance and turn about and to twist on the ground, to take royal leaps and other leaps and this they learn twice a day as long as they are children and they become so loose jointed and supple and they make them turn their bodies contrary to nature; and when they are fully accomplished in this, they teach them to play with the weapon they are most inclined, some play with bows and arrows, some with poles to become spearmen, but most with swords and are ever practising. The Nayars (Nairs) are bound, however old they may be, to always go (for training) in the winter (the rainy season or monsoon season) to take their fencing lessons until they die. Hendrik van Rheede, governor of Dutch Malabar between 1669 and 1676, wrote about Chekavar training in Kalaripayattu in Hortus Malabaricus: ¹

Chekavas (Thiyyar warriors) are bound to war and arms. The Chekavars usually serve to teach Nayros (Nair) in the fencing in kalari school. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Kalaripayattu”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

Kalarippayattu stick fighting is recorded in open cultural data. The structured record cited below does not describe the practice, and this entry has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²