Kerala Martial Arts

Kerala is the land of beaches, festivals, mountains, and traditional dance forms. But apart from this, the Martial Arts of Kerala are also an ancient art of Kerala that adds to the state’s rich cultural heritage. The history of martial arts in Kerala is more than 2000 years old and influenced Chinese martial arts. Kerala’s martial arts training centers are almost like the Gurukuls, where the students stay over and learn the skills and techniques of the martial arts of Kerala. Martial arts of Kerala are different types and use knifes, bows and arrows and these items are even showcased during the temple festivals of Kerala.

What is Kalaripayattu?

Kalaripayattu is a 2000-year-old martial art form of Kerala and has already established itself. It is believed that the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma was influenced by this art, and he sowed the seeds of Chinese martial arts after Kalaripayattu influenced him.

History of Kalaripayattu

The history of Kalaripayattu can be traced to the Dhanur Vedic texts and references in the Vishnu Puranas. Kalaripayattu is a Malayalam word. “Kalari” means a school or gymnasium, and “payattu” means fighting or exercising. Kalaris was initially a school where the skills of this art were taught to the students. It is one of the unique and ancient martial arts of Kerala.

Popular Kerala Martial Arts

Besides this, the Parisa Kali of Malabar and Velakanni of Travancore are two popular martial art forms of Kerala that are examples of traditional South Indian martial arts.