Kalaripayattu: an Indian Martial Art, in Kerala

From the archive record

Two men practice Kalaripayattu with sticks in Kerala. Kalaripayattu is an Indian form of martial arts. Kalaripayattu means Practicing the arts of the battlefield. Kalari means battlefield. Kalaripayattu is sometimes in short called as Kalari. It is today more prevalent in the south Indian state of Kerala. This art is said to have had its origin with Rishi Agastya and Parashurama. Agastya is a great name in Ayurveda – the main Indian medical system. Parashurama is also said to have reclaimed the submerged Kerala from the Arabian Sea. The oldest reference to this martial art is found in the Rigveda and Atharvaveda. In Rigveda, it is mentioned that Lord Indra defeated the daemon Vritasura using one of the marmam techniques of Kalari. Marmam is pressure points in the human body and experienced