Kalari Payattu

The term kalari payittru is a tatpurusha compound from the words kalari (Malayalam:കളരി) meaning school or gymnasium and payattu (Malayalam:പയററ്) derived from payattuka meaning to "fight/ exercise" or "to put hard work into".

Belying the assumption that the compound itself might have an equally antique use as the singular kalari and payattu, the unpublished Malayalam Lexicon notes that the earliest use of the compound, kalarippayattu is in Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer's early twentieth century drama Amba when it is probable that the systems of martial practice assumed a structure and style akin those extant today. M.D. Raghavan has suggested that kalari was derived from the Sanskrit khalūrikā while Burrow is of the opinion that khalūrikā (parade ground, arena) and its Sanskrit root, khala- (threshing floor) are Dravidian loan words.




History


South Indian state of Kerala, where kalari payat originated
Origins
Phillip Zarrilli, a professor at the University of Exeter and one of the few Western authorities on kalaripayattu, estimates that kalaripayattu dates back to at least the 12th century CE. 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. From the 11th or 12th century the right and duty to practice the martial art in the service of a ruler was most associated with Nairs, Ezhavas and some Christians and Muslims were given this right and duty.
In addition, Among at least some noble families, young girls (unniarcha) also received preliminary training up until the onset of menses. We also know from the vadakkan pattukal ballads that at least a few women of noted Chekavars continued to practise and achieved a high degree of expertise. Ankam were fought on an ankathattu, a temporary platform, four to six feet high, purpose-built for ankam.
The earliest western account of this art is that of the Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa (c. 1518).
The more part of these warriors when they are seven years of age are sent to schools where they are taught many tricks of nimbleness and dexterity; there they teach them to dance and turn about and to twist on the ground, to take royal leaps, and other leaps, and this they learn twice a day as long as they are children, and they become so loose-jointed and supple that they make them turn their bodies contrary to nature; and when they are fully accomplished in this, they teach them to play with the weapon to which they are most inclined, some with bows and arrows, some with poles to become spearmen, but most with swords and bucklers, which is most used among them, and in this fencing they are ever practising. The masters who teach them are called Panikars.
The writings of early colonial historians like Varthema, Logan and Whiteway shows that kalari payat was widely popular and well established with almost all people in Kerala transcending gender, caste and communal lines. It is said to have eventually become as prevalent as reading and writing. Kalari payat became more developed during the 9th century and was practiced by 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 Chekavar. The iconic Thacholi Othenan Kurup was elevated to heroic status in all of Kerala. The Lohar of north Kerala were Buddhist warriors who practiced kalaripayat.

Regional variations

There are several styles of kalari payat. The three main schools of thought can be distinguished by their attacking and defensive patterns. The best introduction to the differences between these styles is the book of Luijendijk which uses photographs to show several kalari payat exercises and their applications. Each chapter in his book references a representative of each of the three main traditions.

Northern style

Main article: Northern Kalaripayattu
Northern kalari payat was practiced mainly in the northern Malabar region of Kozhikode and Kannur. It places more emphasis on weapons than on empty hands. Parashurama, sixth avatar of Vishnu, is believed to be the style's founder according to both oral and written tradition. Masters in this system are usually known as gurukkal or occasionally as asan, and were often given honorific titles, especially Panikkar.

The northern style is distinguished by its meippayattu - physical training and use of full-body oil massage. The system of treatment and massage, and the assumptions about practice are closely associated with ayurveda. The purpose of medicinal oil massage is to increase the practitioners' flexibility, to treat muscle injuries incurred during practice, or when a patient has problems related to the bone tissue, the muscles, or nerve system. The term for such massages is thirumal and the massage specifically for physical flexibility chavutti thirumal which literally means "stamping massage" or "foot massage". The masseuse may use their feet and body weight to massage the person.

There are several lineages/styles (sampradayam), of which 'thulunadan' is considered as the best. In olden times, students went to thulunadu kalari's to overcome their defects (kuttam theerkkal). There are schools which teach more than one of these traditions. Some traditional kalari around Kannur for example teach a blend of arappukai, pillatanni, and katadanath styles.

Southern Kalaripayat

Southern styles of kalaripayat emphasise empty hand techniques. They are practiced mainly in old Travancore including the present Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, primarily by Nairs, Nadars, Ezhavas and a small section of Kallars and Maravars, of erstwhile Travancore areas. The founder and patron saint is believed to be the rishi Agasthya. Southern kalaripayat masters are known as asan.
Training is divided into several stages: solo forms (chuvatu), partner training/sparring (jodi), short stick (kurunthadi), longstaff (neduvadi), knife (katthi), dagger (katara), sword and shield (valum parichayum), flexible sword (chuttuval), double sword, kalari grappling and pressure point fighting (marma kalari). Zarrilli refers to southern kalaripayat as ati mura (the 'law of hitting'), marma ati (hitting the vital spots), varma ati or Varma Kalari . The preliminary empty handed techniques of ati mura are known as adithada (hit/defend). Varma ati refers specifically to the application of these techniques to vital spots. Weapons include chilambam (long staffs), short sticks, and double deer horns. Southern styles of kalaripayat are not practised in special roofed pits but rather in the open air otherwise in an unroofed enclosure of palm branches.
Medical treatment in southern styles of kalaripayat is identified with Dravidian siddha, distinct from ayurveda but regarded as being equally sophisticated. The siddha medical system is also known as siddha vaidyam and, like ati mura, is attributed to the rishi Agasthya. The active suppression of Nairs in southern Kerala led to the virtual extinction of their southern dronamballi sampradayam by the mid-1950s

Central style

Main article: Central Kalaripayattu
Central kalari payat is practiced mainly in Thrissur, Malappuram, Palakkad and certain parts of Ernakulam districts. It is a composite of the northern and southern styles that includes northern meippayattu preliminary exercises, southern emphasis on empty-handed moves and its own distinctive techniques which are performed within floor drawings known as kalam.


Various kalari styles

Various kalari styles as specified in Vadakkan Pattukal,

Karuvancheri Kalari
Kodumala Kalari
Kolastri Nadu Kalari
Kurungot Kalari
Mathilur Kalari
Mayyazhi Kalari
Melur Kalari
Nadapuram Kalari
Panoor Madham Kalari
Payyampalli Kalari
Ponniyam Kalari
Puthusseri Kalari
Puthuram Kalari
Thacholi Kalari
Thotuvor Kalari
Tulunadan Kalari

Training

Initiation ceremony
Students begin training at approximately seven years old with a formal initiation ritual performed by the gurukkal. On the opening day of the new session, a novice (mostly Nairs , Ezhavas in the olden days) is admitted to the kalari in the presence of the gurukkal or a senior student and directed to place their right foot first across the threshold. The student touches the ground with the right hand and then the forehead, as a sign of respect. He is then led to the guruthara, the place where a lamp is kept burning in reverence to all the masters of the kalari, to repeat this act of worship. He then offers the master some money as dakshina in folded betel leaves and prostrates himself, touching the master's feet as a sign of submission. The guru then places his hands on the pupil’s head, blesses him and prays for him. This ritual - touching the ground, puttara, guruthara and the guru’s feet - is repeated everyday. It symbolizes a complete submission to and acceptance of the master, the deva, the kalari and the art itself.

The kalari

Main article: Kalari
A kalari is the school or training hall where martial arts are taught. They were originally constructed according to Vastu Shastra with the entrance facing east and the main door situated on the centre-right. Sciences like mantra saastra, tantra saastra and marma saastra are utilized to balance the space's energy level. The training area comprises a puttara (seven tiered platform) in the south-west corner. The guardian deity (usually an avatar of Bhagavathi, Kali Mata or Shiva) is located here, and is worshipped with flowers, incense and water before each training session which is preceded by a prayer. Northern styles are practiced in special roofed pits where the floor is 3.5 feet below the ground level and made of wet red clay meant to give a cushioning effect and prevent injury. The depth of the floor protects the practitioner from winds that could hamper body temperature. Southern styles are usually practiced in the open air or in an unroofed enclosure of palm branches. Traditionally, when a kalari was closed down it would be made into a small shrine dedicated to the guardian deity.