Unique Kerala - Martial Art Form called - Kalarippayattu - Part 1

Origin of Kalarippayattu:

The word "kalari" can be traced to ancient Sangam literature.[2] However, according to Dick Luijendijk, a researcher at the university of Nijmegen, in this literature the word "kalari" does not refer to any martial act.[3] But because the Sangam literature is mainly about love-making and fighting among the South Indian nobility, it is possible to see Kalarippayattu as a continuation of earlier traditions.[3]Thus the martial tradition of Kalarippayattu is also dated to ancient Dravidian traditions.[4] The earliest mention of the concept marmamalso dates back to the Rig Veda where Indra is said to have defeated Vritra by attacking his marman with his vajra.[5] References tomarman also found in the Atharva Veda.[6] Kalarippayattu became more developed during the 9th century and was practiced by the a section of the Nair community,warrior clan of Kerala, to defend the state and the king. The ancient warrior spirit was also retained throughout the centuries by the warrior chieftains of ancient Kerala known as the Mamanka Chekavars and the Lohars, the Buddhistwarriors of north Kerala[7].
Phillip Zarrilli, a professor at the University of Exeter and one of the few Western authorities on kalarippayattu, estimates that Kalarippayattu dates back to at least the 12th century CE.[1] 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.[1] Kalarippayattu may be one of the oldest martial arts in existence.[8] The oldest western reference to Kalarippayattu is a 16th century travelogue of Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese explorer.
Courtesy - en.wikipedia.org