Kalaripayattu fight, Indian martial art, in Kerala

From the archive record

South Indian men demonstrate the ancient Keralan marital art of Kalaripayattu. Indian martial art from Kerala is widely believed to be one of the oldest fighting systems. According to legend, Kalaripayattu originated from Lord Shiva. The meaning of Kalaripayattu means “to put hard work into”, Kalari in Malayalam which means school or gymnasium and payattu . In ancient time, this fighting art was only used by a special class of to protect their king and masters -they would fight to the death. Practitioners of this art believe that animals are the best fighters because they're natural and don't have to imagine what they're doing. Many say that Kalarippayattu is the source of modern Chinese kung-fu. This footage is part of the broadcast stock footage archive of Wilderness Films India Ltd.,