Intro
Kalaripayattu teaches you how to floor an opponent with a feather - and then mend his injuries. Kalaripayattu stretches the body to its limits, and then repairs the damage with massage and medication. The kalari acolyte graduates to master only after having perfected both the art of disempowerment and the art of re-empowerment.
History
Some masters believe that the "Kalari" system originated out of the wrath of Lord Shiva while in his fury, to destroy Daksha yagna. Parasurama, Lord Shiva's disciple, is supposed to have studied this art from him and handed it over to his 21 disciples in Kerala. All such legends propagate the theory that this martial art was brought to Kerala by the Brahmins. The system of treatments and massage, and the assumptions about the body which inform practice are derived from Ayurveda, the traditional medical system or "science" by knowledge of which "life" (ayuh) can be prolonged.
It is believed that Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk and the son of a king, introduced Kalari to China and Japan around the mid 6th century. This may have evolved into modern day oriental martial arts.
Description
"Kalari" is an arena for combat, "payat" stands for a system of combat. In days gone by, every village had a kalari near the temple pond administered by a master who was reverently addressed as "gurukkal". In terms of the patriarchal terror and respect he commanded, he was second only to God.
Down to this day, the gurukkal performs the initiation rituals by lighting the lamp, offering flowers on the pothua and chanting mantras: Oh God! Save us together/Nurture us together /Bless us to work courageously/ Protect our bond against our enemy.
Training
TRAINING
Kalaripayattu is divided into 4 stages. They are:- Meipayattu: series of body control exercises - sequences are linked combinations of basic body movements, including poses, steps, kicks, a variety of jumps and turns, and coordinated hand/arm movements performed in increasingly swift succession back and forth across the kalari.
- Koltari: fighting with wooden weapons
- Ankatari: technique of fighting with metal weapons
- Verumkai: training in empty hand fighting techniques
If one desires to become a teacher (Gurunathan) of Kalaripayattu, further 3 more stages have to be completed:- Chiktsavidhikal: treatment
- Manthrathantra: remembrance of God, etc.
- Marma Prayogam: knowledge of Marmas or pressure points
The student who excels himself in the 7 qualities will be normally selected for the training of Guru.
All exercises in Kalari are performed in strict accordance with Vaytari or systematically developed verbal instruction given by the Guru. The Vaytari is designed specially to give strength, flexibility, endurance, reflex, nimbleness and precision.
One of the important dimensions of initial training is direction of the student's visual focus. Students are told to "look at a specific place" on the opposite side of the kalari while performing the leg exercises, the initial step in developing one-point focus. Once the external, physical eye is steadied, the student eventually begins to discover the "inner eye" of practice, a state of inner connection to practice.
Sub-Styles
North and south have different styles. The southern style is known as Thekkan sampradayam (literally southern style) gives more importance to physical exercise and to the knowledge of Marma or vital points of the body than that of skill in weaponry. The Verurnkai prayogam of the northern style is more developed in tactics and empty hand fighting system.
The Martial Art of Doctoring
The very important part of Kalaripayattu is the uzhichil (massage) with specially prepared medicated oil. The gurukkal, or a skilled masseur, use hands and feet (with the latter suspended by rope) in varied degrees of force and weight till the body is literally squeezed and pummeled into amazing flexibility and suppleness. The background strain to all this wrestling, as it were, of the Saptadhabhu (the seven tissues of the human body: plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and semen) is the song of the charkas, the primum mobile of all yoga. In conjunction is the stimulation of the nadisoothra (ayurvedic acupressure), the marmam (the body's vital parts), pressure points of the sole (foot reflexology) and the known five human senses.
Links
Short video on Kalaripayattu (MOV, 5.9MB)
Video on Poses
Kalaripayattu videos
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