Kalaripayattu - The marital Art of Kerala

Kalaripayattu, the oldest and most scientific marital art form in the world was perhaps developed in Kerala during the 11thcentury, which witnessed constant warfare’s.  The marital art form is taught at the kalari (training school), which are also centres of indigenous medical practices and religious worship.  The training starts withoil massage which makes the body agile and supple.  The trainees are first made to learn chattom (jumping), ottam (running), marichil(somersault) etc  and later on trained in skills of using weapons like daggers, swords, spears, urumi ( a flexible metal sword), maces, the bow and arrow, wooden poles etc.  Finally the students are given the knowledge of defeating an opponent by applying pressure to nerve points.
Kalaripayattu education aims at the ultimate co-ordination of the mind and body.  The two streams that emerged from Kalaripayattu are the chavverpada or the suicide squad and the chekavan, warriors who fight to the death.