An Indian history of martial arts: Part 2

Editor’s note: India is home to glorious traditions of martial arts practice. These techniques of combat are graceful, physical and linked closely to mental discipline and spiritual thought. In part one of this wonderful two-part series, MAP Academy introduced you to Chhau from East India, Mardaani Khel of the Deccan, and Kalaripayattu from the South. In the second part we look at Gatka from Punjab, Thoda from Himanchal Pradesh, Thang-ta from Manipur, Silambam from the hills of Tamil Nadu and Pari-khanda from Jharkhand.

This article originally appeared on the MAP Academy website. All images that appear with the MAP Academy articles are sourced from various collections around the world, and due image credits can be found on the original article on the MAP Academy website. The MAP Academy is a non-profit online educational platform committed to building equitable resources for the study of art histories from South Asia. 

Traditional Indian martial arts combine physical skill with mental discipline and spiritual thought. Varying in style and technique across regions, they often form part of the ceremonial and ritualistic practices of a community and are significant in shaping cultural identity. Most Indian martial arts utilise weapons, though typically not specialised ones but versatile tools such as wooden staffs and clubs; a variety of blades in the form of daggers, swords and spears; or the bow and arrow, as in the thoda tradition from Himachal Pradesh.

The complexity of the rules of traditional martial arts and the intricacy of their movement sequences generally limit the use of these forms in practical combat and make them akin to dance; some, such as chhau from eastern India, also have a dramatic component. However, certain traditional forms have had application in war, such as pari-khanda from Jharkhand, which was used for training soldiers in using the sword and shield, and mardaani khel, a Marathi martial art that played a major role in directing the Maratha army’s military formations.

Throughout the nineteenth century, the British colonial government made certain martial arts illegal, such as kalaripayattu from Kerala and the Meiti practice of thang-ta, pushing many of these traditions to near-extinction. They were kept alive through secret tutelage, orally transmitted community knowledge and, in some cases, written instructions, allowing them to re-emerge after the end of colonial rule in the subcontinent.

Initially restricted to particular regions, many martial arts have spread to other regions both nationally and globally as instructors have taught or set up studios elsewhere in the contemporary period. Since the 1990s, institutions have been established to regulate the form and quality of instruction, as well as preserve traditional methods. These include the Indian Kalaripayattu Federation, the National Gatka Association of India and the World Silambam Federation. A variety of government-supported programmes and private tutors also make these traditions accessible to the general public.

All the way from Punjab: Gatka

A form of self-defence that developed in the Undivided Punjab region, gatka is an armed martial art that uses a wooden stick. The word gatka comes from the Sanskrit word gatayas or motion, but in Punjabi, the word refers to a short wooden stick, called a gatka, used in practice and combat, which is why the martial art form is also known as gatkabaazi. Gatka is often performed during celebrations or festivals such as Baisakhi or Gurpurab with decorated sticks. Though traditionally practised in grounds known as akharas, training of the martial art form is also imparted in gurudwaras.

Scholars speculate that gatka is likely to have been established by the sixth Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind, who introduced the kirpan (dagger) for self-defence. Other accounts narrate that it was originated by Muslims and that the gatka was made out of the branch of a date tree. During British rule, the popularity of the martial art form reduced considerably since it was banned along with the kirpan and the neja (javelin) for the fear of rebellion and uprisings. During this period, the art form was secretly practised within akhadas, mostly in rural areas.

The training begins with learning the paintara, meaning footwork, or more broadly, the strategy for engagement. This is followed by an instruction of the weapons beginning with open-handed combat (bahu yudh) and a stick made of bamboo, known as marahati. In addition to this other weapons used in the art-form include, chakra (a round weapon with little wooden balls), soti (a long wooden stick), tega (a long and broad sword), tabar (axe), guraj (mace), barchha (spear), and the khanda (double-edged sword). Of these, the combination of the gatka and phari (shield) is the most common, followed by the kirpan and dhal (shield). 

The Dasam Granth dictates the usage of the weapons in gatka. The weapons may be classified by their use into mukata weapons—to be used either by hand or released from machines like the catapult or bow—and amukata weapons which are held in the hand. These weapons are placed either in the kamarkasa (cummerbund) or within the dastar (turban).

The weapons of gatka are often worshipped before combat through a shastra puja, where the weapons require to be arranged in particular formations; a popular one resembles a lotus flower. Following this, the weapons are offered salutations through the shastra namaskar. The Dasam Granth also provides invocations that may be made during training and displays. These are often chanted or performed along with war drums such as the dhol or nagara.

Apart from Punjab, gatka is also practised in parts of Afghanistan, such as the Hazara division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as well as by Trinidadians of Indian descent. In the early 2000s the martial art went through a revival through organisations such as Gatka Federation of India (GFI) and National Gatka Association of India (NGAI) and is played as a competitive sport nationally. Additionally, in 2013, the state government of Punjab began offering a diploma course in gatka at the Punjabi University, Patiala.

Of the mountains: Thoda

Originating in present-day Himachal Pradesh, thoda or thoda ka khel is a form of armed martial art involving the skill of archery as well forms of dancing. Believed to have originated as a form of martial arts performed by the Pandavas and Kauravas in the Mahabharata, it primarily involves the use of a bow and arrow in combat. The members participating in the thoda are collectively known as Khashiya, and belong to the Thakur community of the region. Thoda derives its name from thod, meaning a raised platform, upon which the Khashiya would offer sacrifices before combat. Another version states that the name comes from thud, meaning lower limbs, which are targeted during the fight.

In its current form, the martial art form comprises two teams—known as the saathi and pashi, where the former represents Kauravas (saath referring to the sixty; the number of Kauravas in the battle) and the latter Pandavas (pashi is derived from paanch (five) the number of Pandavas)—and nearly 500 members each. The group is a combination of dancers that encourage the fighters and archers, armed with bows, normally seven feet long with three feet long strings and arrows. The pashi group forms a chakravyuh, a military formation in the form of a circle, surrounding its opponents the saathis who have to attempt to break through this formation. Points are scored in the fight by targeting the opponent’s leg below the knee. Any other part of the body attacked outside this area leads to a negative point.

Participants of thoda are normally dressed in a salwar or suthan, with a naltoo (a kind of short shirt worn on top), below which they wear a pair of pyjamas with a patti (thick strip of cloth) an boots, in order to prevent injuries. In addition to the instruments used for combat, the art form also involves music in which traditional instruments such as the dhol, nagara, shehnai and narsingh are used. The martial art form is popular today in the districts of Shimla, Sirmaur and Solan in Himachal Pradesh and is usually performed on the day of Baisakhi.

From the Northeast: Thang-ta

Originating among the Meitei people of Manipur, thang-ta is one component of the martial art form known as Huyen Langlon, often referred to interchangeably. It is an armed martial art technique that mainly uses swords, called thang, and spears, known as ta. The other unarmed component of Huyen Langlon is known as sarit-sarak. According to local legends, the art form originated from the creator of the Meitei people, Tin Sidaba, and the instruments originated from his limbs. It was banned by the British during the Anglo-Manipur War (1891) but was reintroduced by Maharaja Churachand in 1934.

The practice of thang-ta may be carried out in various ways. One component to this art form involves performing rituals, another involves elements of dance using swords and spears and a combative form involves the actual act of fighting. Thang-ta also involves forms of war dance such as the sword dance, Thangkairol and the spear dance, Khosarol.

Within the method of fighting, the spear techniques are known to be harder than the sword techniques. The most basic stance is known as the “lion’s posture” which involves standing with one’s feet at a forty-five-degree angle, leaning forward with the toes and chin in a straight line, thus, forming a straight line at the back. Rather than a fight to death, the duel is often won by the opponent who draws the first blood.

Today, the martial art form is taught in some schools in Manipur, and Jammu and Kashmir. Until 1985, the knowledge of thang-ta was not shared with non-Meitei people. Ojha Premkumar is considered the current grandmaster of thang-ta while Khilton Nongmaithem was the first teacher to teach thang-ta outside Manipur. Among many different forms of performing Thang-ta a popular variant is performed with spears during funerals and Manipuri classical dances such as Pung and Pala Cholom and the Lai Haraoba are also believed to have originated from this martial art form.

From the hills of Tamil Nadu: Silambam

Originating in ancient Southern India, silambam is a form of warfare that involves fighting with a bamboo staff developed for self-defence. The name silambam, comes from the Tamil word silam, meaning hills. This reference to hills may be the reason that the art of silambam was particularly useful in the Kurinji hills to keep wild animals away. The primary weapon used for the art form is a particular kind of yellow bamboo known as silambambu, but other weapons may also include swords, spears, daggers and knives.

The origin of silambam is unclear but references to silambam can be found in Sangam literature, for instance in the epic, ‘Silapathikaram.’ Also, historical references elucidate its use by the rulers of the Chera, Chola and Pandya kingdoms. Most notably the soldiers in the army of the Tamil ruler Veerapandiya Kattabomman, defended their kingdom against the British using silambam. Scholars note that the city of Madurai was an important centre in spreading the art form to other parts of Southeast Asia, Europe and the Middle East and the silambam staff was exported to these parts of the world. Some accounts also state that the shaolin style of martial arts is also a derivation of silambam, and was brought to China by Bodhidharma in 526 AD.

The basics of the fight come from its footwork, known as chuvadus, of which there are eighteen types and these are taught to the students before they are allowed to move on to the use of sticks. Unlike other popular stick-based martial art forms, the grip used in silambam is known as a hammer grip (main hand facing down behind the secondary hand that faces up) instead of a poker grip where both hands face down. This, in combination with fast and agile wrist movement and footwork, is seen as the core of this art form. In some cases, along with the stick, a shield made of bamboo or wicker may also be used that is secured on the wrist or forearm.

The art form is performed on a circular, hard surface which is 40–50 feet in diameter. The match can be of three kinds: a duel to the finish, where the first opponent to lose their stick loses; a duel where the participants must guard an object placed at their foot; and lastly, the most popular, where the opponent must try and get the opponent’s stick to touch them the least number of times in order to win. For the last variant, the stick is laced with a sticky substance that gets left behind on the opponent's body when touched. Since the staff is the most important part of combat, it may vary in length based on the height of the fighter and is approximately 1–1.25 inches in diameter. “Torch silambam” or panthukol, where cloth balls are lit on fire, are used by fire dance performers at events or festivals. In another variant, the two opponents have their sticks coated in two different coloured powders and the winner of the combat is determined by the person left with the least marks of colour on their body.

Compared to other martial arts, silambam wasn’t always regularised since it has mostly been passed on through a guru-shishya (teacher-student) system. Recently, it adapted the belt system, like karate, where silambam begins with a white belt and ends with a black — ash, yellow, orange, green, blue, purple and brown come in between. Additionally in an effort to popularise and promote the martial art form, the World Silambam Federation was founded in 2010 in Chennai.

From the plateau: Pari-khanda

Originating from the regions of Saraikela and Singhbhum in Jharkhand, pari-khanda is a martial art whose name comes from the weapons—pari (sword) and khanda (shield). It was established as a form of physical training for the soldiers.

Pari-khanda training begins with the practice of chaalis, or steps, which involve the movements of birds and animals such as the haathi chaali (the elephant movement) and baagh chaali (tiger movement). These are followed by upalayas or combined movements inspired by movements occurring in daily life, such as gutti-koora, lifting a pebble with one’s toes; gobar-goola, mixing cow-dung with water; kula-pachra, husking paddy; bota-cheera, splitting a bamboo; and finally the khel, consisting of ten movements. 

Pari-khanda is generally performed early in the morning and on the banks of the Kharkai river, on a stretch of raised land, known as Bhairavsal, consisting of seven stone lingams (phallic-shaped stones symbolising the deity Shiva) before each of which the pari-khanda performers prostrate themselves. Performers normally perform in a dhoti and a bare torso.

Today, the martial art form survives in the form of chhau dance which utilises the movements of pari-khanda. Another variation of the pari-khanda is known as the paika, a martial art form popular in Odisha.

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This article has been written by the research and editorial team at the MAP Academy. Through its free knowledge resources—Encyclopedia of Art, Online Courses, and Stories—the MAP Academy encourages knowledge building and engagement with the region's visual arts. Follow them on Instagram to learn more about art histories from South Asia.