Indian Martial Arts
Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. This includes what are now India, Pakistan,Bangladesh, and sometimes Sri Lanka and Nepal. Although South Asian martial arts is occasionally preferred for neutrality, the fighting styles of all the aforementioned countries are generally accepted as "Indian" due to shared history and culture. This article will refer to India in the historic sense to include most of southern Asia.
A variety of terms are used for the English phrases "Indian martial arts" or "South Asian martial arts", usually deriving from Sanskrit or Dravidian sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. archery, armed combat), by Classical times they were used generically for all fighting systems.
Martial arts is a part of India’s ancient culture and a traditional games.Originally a traditional form of martial art that started in South India, and now it has different names and different forms in the culture of the regions in India. Khusti The Indian Wrestling is also a part of Indian Martial arts found throughout the India.
Kalarippayattu
Kalarippayattu is a famous Indian martial art from land of attraction Kerala and one of the oldest fighting systems in existence. It is practiced in most of the part of south India. A kalari is the school or training hall where martial arts are taught. It includes strikes, kicks and some weapon based practiced, Footwork patterns is most important key in Kalarippayattu. It is the best Indian martial art that has been used in many movies to make it popular, like Ashoka and The myth.
Silambam
Silambamis a weapon-based Indian martial art from Tamil Nadu. Every states has it own style of martial arts. A wide variety of weapons are used in silamban, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world. Silambam art also used animal movements of snake, tiger, eagle forms and footwork patterns is play a key role here as well. Another part of Silambam is Kuttu varisai, it is the unarmed kind of martial art.
The Keralite art of fighting came into its present form through the kalari, the local variation of the gurukula educational institution. Historically Nairs, the warrior groups of Kerala practiced Kalaripayut. Today there are three branches of kalaripayat: northern, central and southern. Training progresses from footwork and stances to unarmed techniques, blunt weapons, and finally to edged weapons. The most common weapons today are the staff, stick, sword, shield, spear, dagger and flexible sword.
Kashmiri swordsmanship is said to have an ancient history, but it was only much later that it acquired its modern name of sqay. Sqay survived a decline following the partition of India by adopting competitive methodologies of karate and taekwondo.
Gatka
Gatkais weapon-based Indian martial art basically created by the Sikhs of Punjab.There are many weapons used in Gatka like, Stick, Talwar, kirpan and kataar. The attacking and defense methods are based upon the positions of the hands feet and nature of weapons used. It is also displayed during the different celebrations or at fairs in Punjab.
Martial arts in northwest India and adjacent Pakistan were traditionally referred to by several terms but the most common today is shastara-vidiya or "science of self defense". Swordsmen practiced their techniques either in routines using real swords, or freestyle sparring with wooden sticks called gatka, a form of stick-fighting. Gatka is associated with the Sikhs history and an integral part of an array of Sikh Shastar Vidiya. During the colonial period, the term gatka was extended to mean northwestern martial arts in general. Some aspects of the art, such as the unarmed techniques or fighting in armour, are today practiced almost exclusively by the Nihang order of Sikhs. Gatka incorporates several forms, each with their own set of weapons, strategies and footwork. In the late 18th century, this martial art further developed as a recreational game and Panjab University Lahore codified its rules for playing it as a game.
Musti Yuddha
It is unarmed martial art from the oldest city of India “Varanasi“. Technique used in this martial arts are punches, kicks, knees and elbow strikes. This style is a complete art of physical, mental and spiritual development. This art is very rarely visible but was very popular in middle age.
The Kannada fighting arts are taught exclusively at traditional training halls or garadi mane. Disciplines include unarmed combat (kai varase), staff-fighting (kolu varase) and sword-fighting (katti varase) among various other weapons. These are most often seen today only during choreographed demonstrations at festivals.
Thang Ta
Thang Ta is popular term for the ancient Manipuri Martial Art also known as HUYEN LALLONG. Manipuri martial arts with swords and spears, is a strong yet gracefully sophisticated art.
During times of peace, the paika would hone their skills through martial dances, forms-training and various acrobatics.Other weapons include the staff and guantlet-sword.
Lathi
Lathi is an ancient armed martial art of India. It also refers one of the world’s oldest weapons used in martial arts. Lathi or stick martial arts practiced in Punjab and Bengal region of India. Lathi still remains a popular sport in Indian villages.
Bengali war-dances bear testament to the weapons once used in the Bengal region. Today most of these weapons are used only in choreographed fights, including dao khela(knife fighting) and fala khela (sword fighting). Traditional stick-fighting (lathi khela) is still used in free sparring today. The sticks may be short like a cudgel or a long staff. The former are sometimes paired with a shield.
Mardani Khel
Mardani Khel is an armed method of martial art created by the Maratha. This traditional martial art of Maharashtra is practiced in kolhapur.
Types of competition include sparring, breaking, and forms or khawankay. Pracitioners spar using fake swords called tora which are paired with a shield. Sparring is point-based, the points being awarded for successful hits with the tora or with the foot
Pari-khandaa
Pari-khandaa style of sword and shield fighting from Bihar. This art is created by the rajputs. Pari-khanda steps and techniques are also used in Chau dance.
The Orissan martial art traces back to the paika class of warriors who were particularly known for their use of the khanda or double-edge straight sword. During times of peace, the paika would hone their skills through martial dances, forms-training and various acrobatics. Their descendants have preserved these exercises in training halls called paika akhada, and demonstrate them mainly through street performances. Their method of sword training called pari-khanda is still used as the first part of the chhau dance. Other weapons include the staff and guantlet-sword.
The native Tamil martial art has come to be referred to as silambam after its main weapon, the bamboo staff. Training begins with footwork patterns before progressing to stances and subsequently fighting techniques. Aside from its namesake, silambam includes a variety of weapons such as the sword, twin sticks, double deer horns, whip, sword, shield and sword, dagger, flexible sword and sickle. Unarmed silambam (kai silambam) is based on animal movements such as the snake, eagle, tiger and elephant. Other Martial Arts of Tamil Nadu are Varma Kalai, Adi Thadi, Malyutham AND Kusthi (Boxing form of Tamil Nadu, not to be confused with North Indian Kushti which is a Wrestling art.)