Who's Who in
Kalarippayattu
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Kalarippayattu (Malayalam:കളരിപയററ്) is an Indian martial
art practised in Kerala and contiguous parts of neighboring Tamil Nadu.
It incorporates strikes, kicks, grappling, martial dance, and weaponry,
as well as healing techniques. Some people
believe that the word "kalari" can be traced back to ancient Sangam
literature. The martial tradition of Kalarippayattu is also dated to
ancient Dravidian traditions. Phillip Zarrilli, a professor at the
University of Exeter and one of the few Western authorities on
kalaripayattu, estimates that kalarippayattu dates back to at least the
12th century CE. The historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai attributes the
birth of Kalarippayattu to an extended period of warfare between the
Cheras and the Cholas in the 11th century CE. What eventually
crystallized into this style is thought to have been a product of
existing South Indian styles of combat, combined with techniques
brought by migration from the north along the western coast. Discovery
channel in Asia notes that Kalarippayattu may be one of the oldest
martial arts in existence. The oldest Western reference to
Kalarippayattu is a 16th century travelogue of Duarte Barbosa, a
Portuguese explorer. The Southern style, which places more emphasis on
open hand combat has mainly been practiced by the Tamil speaking
regions, at least for the last few centuries
Kalarippayattu underwent a period of decline after the
introduction of firearms and especially after the full establishment of
British colonial rule in the 19th century. The resurgence of public
interest in kalarippayattu began in the 1920s in Tellicherry as part of
a wave of rediscovery of the traditional arts throughout South India and
continued through the 1970s surge of general worldwide interest in
martial arts. In recent years, efforts have been made to further
popularize the art, with it featuring in international films. Some dance
schools incorporate kalaripayattu as part of their exercise regimen.
There are many different styles of
Kalarippayattu. If one looks at the way attacks and defenses are
performed, one can distinguish three main schools of thought: the
northern styles, the central styles, and the southern styles. The best
introduction to the differences between these styles is the book of
Luijendijk. Luijendijk uses photographs to show several Kalarippayattu
exercises and their applications. Each chapter in his book references a
representative of each of the three main traditions
Northern Kalaripayattu
Northern kalarippayattu (practiced mainly in the northern Malabar region
of Kozhikode and Kannur) places comparatively more emphasis on weapons
than on empty hands. Masters in this system are usually known as
gurukkal (and only occasionally as asan), and were often given honorific
titles, especially Panikkar. By oral and written traditions, Parasurama,
the sixth Avatar of Vishnu, is believed to be the founder of the art.
Northern kalarippayattu is distinguished by its meippayattu - physical
training and use of full-body oil massage. The system of treatment and
massage, and the assumptions about practice are closely associated with
Ayurveda. The purpose of medicinal oil massage is to increase the
practitioners' flexibility, to treat muscle injuries incurred during
practice, or when a patient has problems related to the bone tissue, the
muscles, or nerve system. The term for such massages is thirumal and the
massage specifically for physical flexibility chavutti thirumal. There
are several lineages (sampradayam), of which the arappukai is the most
common nowadays. There are schools which teach more than one of these
traditions. Some traditional kalaris around Cannanore, for example,
teach a blend of arappukai, pillatanni, and katadanath styles.
Southern Kalaripayattu
In southern styles of kalarippayattu (practiced mainly in old Travancore
and the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu), practice and fighting
techniques emphasize empty hands and application from the first lesson.
In the southern styles the stages of training are Chuvatu (solo forms),
Jodi (partner training/sparring), Kurunthadi (short stick), Neduvadi,
Katthi, Katara, valum parichayum, Chuttuval, double sword and Marmma and
kalari grappling. The southern styles of kalarippayattu are Tamil and
for at least several hundred years have been practised primarily by
Nadars, Kallars, Thevars, and some Sambavar.
Zarrilli refers to southern kalarippayattu as ati murai (the 'law of
hitting') or varma ati (hitting the vital spots). The preliminary
empty-hand techniques of ati murai are known as Adithada (hit/defend).
Varma ati refers specifically to the application of these techniques to
vital spots. Weapons may include long staffs, short sticks, and the
double deer horns. Southern styles of kalarippayattu are not usually
practiced in special roofed pits but rather in the open air, or in an
unroofed enclosure of palm branches. Masters are known as asaan rather
than gurukkal. The founder and patron saint is believed to be the rishi
Agasthya.
Medical treatment in southern styles of kalarippayattu�which does
include massage�is identified with Dravidian Siddha medicine which is as
sophisticated as�though distinct from�Ayurveda. The Dravidian Siddha
medical system is also known as Siddha Vaidyam and, like ati murai, is
attributed to the rishi Agasthya. Active suppression of Nairs in
southern Kerala led to the virtual extinction of their southern
dronamballi sampradayam by the mid 1950s.
Central Kalaripayattu
The central style (practiced mainly in Thrissur, Malappuram, Palakkad
and certain parts of Ernakulam districts is 'a composite' from both the
northern and southern styles that includes northern meippayattu
preliminary exercises, southern emphasis on empty-hand techniques, and
its own distinctive techniques, which are performed within floor
drawings known as kalam.
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