INTRODUCTON
India, the land of diverse culture and ethnicities, is
known for its wide variety of martial arts that have
developed since the ancient times.
Martial arts literally means ‘arts associated with the
waging of war’.
Closely related to dance, yoga and performing arts.
Some were banned during the British rule.
Resurfaced and gained popularity post independence.
TYPES
Kalaripayattu
Silambam
Thang-ta and sarit sarak
Cheibi gad-ga
Pari-khanda
Thoda
Gatka
Mardani khel
Lathi
Inbuan wrestling
Kuttu varisai
Musti yuddha
Kalaripayattu
Origin: Kerala
Sage Parasurama, who built
temples and introduced
martial arts, started
Kalaripayattu.
Important keys: footwork,
kicks, strikes and weapon
based practice.
Silambam
Origin: Tamil Nadu
A kind of staff fencing
Used both for mock fighting and self defence
Pure defense art combat exercise.
Kind of techniques: swift movements of the foot, use
of both hands to wield staff, use of thrust, cut, chop
and sweep to achieve mastery and development of
force, momentum and precision at different levels of
the body (head, shoulder, hip and leg level).
Silambam(cont…)
Thang-Ta and Sarit Sarak
Origin: Meitei people of
Manipur.
Thang-ta is an armed martial
art that finds its mention in
the most lethal combat
forms.
Sarit Sarak, on the other
hand, is an unarmed art form
that uses hand-to-hand
combat.
Thang refers to a ‘sword’,
while Ta refers to a ‘spear’.
Cheibi Gad-ga
Origin: Manipur
Cheibi Gad-ga involves fighting
using a sword and a shield.
It has now been modified to a
stick encased in soft leather in
place of a sword and a leather
shield.
The contest takes place in a
circle of 7 metre diameter, on a
flat surface.
The points are given based on
skills and brute force.
Pari-khanda
created by Rajputs, is a form of martial art from Bihar.
Fighting using sword and shield.
Still practiced in many parts of Bihar
Its steps and techniques are widely used in Chhau
dance.
Pari’ that means shield while ‘khanda’ refers to sword.
Thoda
Himachal Pradesh
Thoda is a mixture of martial arts, sport and culture.
It takes place during Baisakhi (13th and 14th April) every
year. The martial art relies on a player’s skill of archery.
Two groups of roughly 500 people each.
Most of these are not archers but dancers who come along
to boost the morale of their respective teams.
The game is played in a marked court so as to ensure a
certain degree of discipline.
The two teams are called Pashis and Saathis, who are
believed to be the descendants of Pandavas and Kauravas
of Mahabharata.
The archers aim for the leg, below the knee, as there are
negative points for striking any other parts of the body.
Thoda(cont….)
Gatka
Weapon based martial art
form, performed by the Sikhs
of Punjab.
The name ‘Gatka’ refers to
the one whose freedom
belongs to grace.
Gatka features the skillful use
of weapons, including stick,
Kirpan, Talwar and Kataar.
It is displayed on a number of
celebrations in the state
including fairs.
Mardani Khel
Traditional Maharashtrian
armed martial art, which is
practiced widely in the district of
Kolhapur.
Mardani Khel focuses primarily
on skills of weaponry, especially
swords, swift movements and
use of low stances that is suited
to its originating place, the hill
ranges.
It is known for the use of the
unique Indian Pata (sword) and
Vita (corded lance).
Lathi
One the world’s oldest weapons
used in martial arts
Lathi refers to a ‘stick’ (usually cane
sticks), which is generally 6 to 8
feet in length and sometimes metal
tipped.
Indian police can be seen using
such Lathis to control crowd.
Majorly practiced in Punjab and
Bengal, it still is one of the popular
sport in villages of the country.
Inbuan Wrestling
A native martial art form of
Mizoram
It has very strict rules that
prohibit stepping out of the
circle, kicking and knee
bending.
The way to win this is by
lifting the opponent off their
feet, while stringently
adhering to the rules.
It also involves catching of
the belt (worn around their
waist) by the wrestlers.
Inbuan wrestling(cont..)
Kuttu Varisai
First mentioned in Sangam
literature (first or second
century B.C.), Kuttu Varisai
translates to ‘empty hand
combat’.
Kuttu Varisai is mainly
practiced in Tamil Nadu,
although it is quite popular in
north-eastern part of Sri
Lanka and Malaysia too.
It is considered as an
unarmed component of
silambam.
Musti Yuddha
Originated in one of the oldest city
of the country, Varanasi, Musti
Yuddha is an unarmed martial art
form resembling boxing.
It used techniques like kicks,
punches, knee and elbow strikes.
Although rarely visible now, it was
quite a popular art during 1960s.
Musti Yuddha incorporated the
development of all three aspects,
physical, mental and spiritual.
References
INDIAN ART AND CULTURE by NITIN SINGHANIA 2nd edition.
https://www.google.com/search?q=mardani+khel+martial+art&rlz=1C1GCEA_enIN870I
N870&sxsrf=ACYBGNThdMctnE2i-
Dz7CCXdmSEyHpe9fw:1574247298271&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjf5
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References(cont…)
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsiteproxy.ruqli.workers.dev%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fwww.indianetzone.com%2F
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india%2F&docid=Tbmx9eCVWElFkM&tbnid=0ZvvrkgVCF5_fM%3A&vet=10ahUKEwiL4
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alla%20yuddha&ved=0ahUKEwiL4tKo1vjlAhVqzjgGHXOqDUsQMwhOKAIwAg&iact=m
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THANK YOU
