Silambam - Citizendia

Silambam (Tamil: சிலம்பம்) or Silambattam (Tamil: சிலம்பாட்டம்) or Chilambam, is a traditional Dravidian martial art based on stick fighting. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Dravidian martial arts have been practiced by Dravidian peoples in South India and northeastern Sri Lanka since the Sangam period This style supposedly originates from the Kurinji Hills in present day Kerala, 5,000 years ago, where natives used bamboo staves to defend themselves against wild animals. Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}}; As per Sangam literature, the Kurinji Hills was one of the five physiographic divisions within Tamilakam, which became known as Keralam after the arrival of Brahmins. Tamiḻakam ( Tamil தமிழகம் is a Tamil word meaning the Tamil country or the Tamil home. Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}}; Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. The Narikuravar of the Kurinji Hills used a staff called Chilambamboo as a weapon to defend themselves against wild animals, and also to display their skill during their religious festivals. The Hindu scholars and yogies who went to the Kurinji mountains to meditate got attracted by the display of this highly skilled spinning Chilambamboo. A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical

1 Overview
2 History
3 References
4 External links
5 See also

Overview

Silambam is a mainly a form of stick or walking staff fighting. The length of the staff is roughly 1. 68 meters (five and a half feet). Size of the staff is related to the height of the silambam player. It should just touch the forehead about three fingers from the head, although different lengths are used in different situations. The 3 feet stick called "sedikutchi" can be carried covertly. Separate practice is needed for staves of different lengths. The usual stance includes holding the staff at one end, right hand close to the back, left hand about 40 centimeters (16 inches) away. This position allows a wide array of stick-and-body movements, including complex attacks and blocks. Unarmed silambam utilizes several routines based on the movements of animals, primarily snake and eagle forms.

Beginners

Beginners are taught Footwork patterns and they must master them before learning spinning techniques and patterns, and methods to change the spins without stopping the motion of the stick. Footworks (Kaaladi) are the key aspects of Silambam and kuthu varisai (bare hand version). There are sixteen of them among which four are very important. Gradually, fighters study footwork to move precisely in conjunction with the stick movements. The ultimate goal of the training is to defend against multiple armed opponents.

Footworks (Kaaladi) are the key aspects of Silambam and kuthu varisai (bare hand version). Traditionally, the masters first teach kaaladi for a long time, then proceed to kuthu varisai which is also called kai silambam (hand silambam). The teaching of kuthuvarisai trains oneself to get a feel of silambam stick movements using our bare hands, that is, fighters have a preliminary training with bare hands before going to the stick.

In Silambam as well as kuthu varisai the kaaladi (foot work or foot step) is the key in deriving power for the blows. Kaaladi teaches how to advance and retreat, to get in range of the opponent without losing our defence as well as it aids very much in hitting and blocking. It also strengthens the body immensely enabling the person to receive blows (non lethal) and still continue the combat. The whole body is used to create power. There are sixteen of them among which four are very important. Gradually, fighters study footwork to move precisely in conjunction with the stick movements.

When the student reaches the final stage, the staff gets sharpened at one end. In real combat the tips may be poisoned. The ultimate goal of the training is to defend against multiple armed opponents. The expert in this field knows varmakkalai (art of pressure points) and knows where to strike anywhere in the body to produce fatal or crippling effects by the least use of power. In a man-to-man combat an expert would just slide his stick to opponents wrist many times during combat. The opponent in the heat of battle may not notice this and feels sudden pain in his wrist and throws the stick automatically without knowing what hit him/her. When two experts match against each other one may challenge the other that he will hit his big toe. Hitting the big toe can produce crippling effects on the fighter making him/her abandon the combat. This is called "solli adithal" (challenging and successfully hitting) and this phrase is often used in Tamil movies most often by the leading characters in different contexts like "challenging and successfully revenging".

Unique Nature Of Silambam.

Almost all cultures have some forms of stick fighting. But what is unique in silambam beyond its unconquerable vastness is the nature of silambam combat itself.

Most stick fighting style grip the stick in the center using poker grip (both hands facing down), Silambam prefers hammer grip (main hand facing down behind the weak hand which faces up). The strong hand grips the stick about a distance hand's width and thumb's length from the end of the stick and the week hand is a thumb's length away from the strong hand. Actually the weak hand is just touching the stick and it is just for guiding the movement of the stick. Silambam stresses ambidexterity (use of both hands) and besides the preferred hammer grip there are other ways of gripping the staff.

When facing man to man a fighter held his/her stick in front of the body stretching his arms three quarters full. From there he/her starts all his attacks by the sheer movement of the wrist. In fact most of the silambam blows are derived from wrist movement. Wrist is the key component of silambam. The bow gets speed from the wrist and power from the body through kaaladi (foot work or foot steps).

Since the stick is held in front, Silambam strikes are telegraphic, that is, the Silambam fighter does not intend to hide his intentions from the opponent. He/she beats the opponent by sheer speed, overwhelming him/her with continuous non-stop rain of blows. In Silambam, one blow leads to (aids) another. Besides there are cheating blows (one blow disguised as other). In addition to the blows Silambam has a vast variety of grappling methods called Poottu (locks). A fighter must always be careful while wielding his/her stick or he/she will be grappled and lose the fight. The locks can disable the fighter or simply capture his/her stick. There also counters or openings (Thirappu) for these locks. But the counters must be used before the lock gets finished. In addition to locks, Silambam also has many different types of evading an attack like, blocking, parrying, receiving (with the stick), rotary parrying, hammering (with the stick), kolluvuthal or sliding (attacking and blocking simultaneously) and purely evading moves like sitting or kneeling, moving out, jumping high and so on.

A person who is trained in other staff martial arts but not in Silambam will find its very difficult to match against the Silmbam fighter because of the unique nature of Silambam.

The speed of Silambam is unparalleled, some serious research is needed on this topic. Because of the way the stick is held and the relatively thin diameter of the stick blows to the groin are very frequent and difficult to block.

Versatility of Silambam

Besides its uniqueness silambam is vast. For example Silambam not only uses hammer grip but poker grip and ice pick grip as well. Some blocks and hits are performed using poker grip. Ice pick grip is used in single hand attacks. The stick is held like a walking stick and just hand gets inverted using the wrist.

Against multipe attackers Silambam practitioners do not held out their sticks as they do in man to man combat. Instead they use pose. There are numerous poses in silambam (snake, tiger, eagle and so on). Using poses makes difficult for the opponents to predict the attack and counter attack.

There are numerous sub sects in Silambam like Nagam-16 (cobra-16), kallapathu (the thieves ten), kidamuttu (the goat head butting), kuravanchi, kalyanavarisai (similar to quarterstaff, thulukkanam (Turkish sequence) and so on. Each of these sub sects is unique and may differ from one another in grip, pose, foot work used, method of attack, length of the stick, movement of the stick etc.

Much of the vast techniques and styles in Silambam have been lost due to various invasions of the Tamil Nadu, especially the British. The use of guns means the stick has lost much of its combat superiority. Also, the British who ruled for nearly 200 years completely banned the art.

Its emphasis on the staff distinguishes Silambam from Northern Kalaripayattu considered similar to Southern Kalaripayattu where fighting techniques emphasize empty hands or simple sticks or swords. History What eventually crystallized as northern kalarippayatt combined indigenous Dravidian techniques like Chilambam with the martial practices and ethos Varma Kalari - Neuro Martial Art See also Varma Kalari A great warfare part of southern style of kalarippayatt practised by the Royal Thiruppad Nadans to

Silambam, Kuthu varisai, a bare hand technique literally meaning punching sequence, maduvu (deer horn), surul or churul (long double edged flexible blade), kathi kuthu (knife thrust), Val payattu or val veesu or vaal veechu (sword play), sheela or cheela (two finger defense) are all closely related and can be called as a single group of martial arts.

History

Part of a series on Indian martial arts

Various Indian martial arts
Pehlwani - Kalarippayattu - Malla-yuddha - Vajra Mushti / Vajra Mukti - Chakram - Kabaddi - Silambam Nillaikalakki - Gatka - Thang-Ta - Other arts
Notable Practitioners
The Great Gama - Phillip Zarrilli - Jasmine Simhalan - Jyesthimallas - Gobar Goho - Imam Baksh Pahalwan - Paul Whitrod - Gulam - Guru Har Gobind - John Will
Related articles
Kshatriya - Yoga - Indian mêlée weapons - Dravidian martial arts - Khanda - Marmam - Ayurveda - Sri Lankan martial arts - Foreign influence on Chinese martial arts

Silambam was patronized by the ancient Chola, Chera and Pandya kings of South India during the Sangam period. The Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of Martial arts. Pehlwani ( Hindi: पहलवानी Urdu: پہلوانی or Kushti ( Hindi: कुश्ती Urdu: کشتی which come from Kalarippayattu or kalaripayattu ( Malayalam കളരിപയറ്റ് kaɭəɾipːajətːɨ̆ is a Martial art with origins in Kerala Mallayuddha (literally "wrestling combat" Devanagari: मल्लयुद्ध is the classical Indian martial art of wrestling. History The martial art of Vajra Mushti was described in the Buddharata Sutra, written in the 5th century CE The forms of wrestling and striking described The chakram ( Devanāgarī: चक्रम is a throwing Weapon that was used by the ancient Indians it is a flat Metal disc with a sharp outer Kabaddi (sometimes written Kabbadi or Kabadi) (கபடி otherwise known as சடுகுடுకబడ్డీ ਕਬੱਡੀ कबड्डी कबड्डीکبڈی For the Tamil language Feature film see Silambattam. Silambam (சிலம்பம் or Silambattam (சிலம்பாட்டம் Gatka ਗਤਕਾ gatkā (Meaning one whose freedom belongs to grace, is a defensive and offensive Sikh martial art associated with the Sikhs Thang-Ta is most popular Meetei Martial arts in Manipur. The literal translation of Thang-ta in the Manipuri language is Swords and This is a list of Martial arts, broken down by region and style The "Great" Gama (c1880 - 22nd May 1953 or 21st May 1960? also known as Rustam-e-zaman Gama Pahelvan and Lion of the Punjab Phillip Zarrilli is a notable practitioner of the Indian martial arts of Kalarippayattu and Marma Adi. Jasmine Simhalan (born 13 November, 1970 in Chennai India) is a practitioner of Indian martial arts and Classical Indian dance The Jyesthimalla (literally the greatest warriors) are a clan of martial artists in India who practice the Martial art of Vajra Mushti. Imam Baksh was a renowed wrestler and a practitioner of the Indian wrestling style of Pehlwani. Gulam was an Indian practitioner of Pehlwani. Gulam participated in early Catch wrestling tournaments in Europe. Guru Har Gobind (ਗੁਰੂ ਹਰਿ ਗੋਬਿੰਦ ਸਾਹਿਬ also Sacha Padshah (ਸੱਚਾ ਪਾਦਸ਼ਾਹ True King John Will (born) is a notable martial artist from Australia. Will won gold in the first World Silat Championships held in Jakarta in 1982 the Kshatriya (क्षत्रिय kṣatriya from क्षत्र kṣatra) is one of the four varnas (social orders in Hinduism Yoga ( Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga, joːgə refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the Dravidian martial arts have been practiced by Dravidian peoples in South India and northeastern Sri Lanka since the Sangam period For the sword described in Indian legend see Khadga The Khanda (from Khadga, literally meaning 'sword' in Sanskrit) is Marmam are pressure points of the human body in Indian martial arts in general and Dravidian martial arts in particular Ayurveda ( Devanāgarī: आयुर्वॆद the 'science of life' is a system of Traditional medicine native to India, and practiced in other There are 2 styles of martial arts native to Sri Lanka these are Cheena di and Angampora. Theories of the origins of Asian martial arts range from the highly Diffusionist to models which show greater recognition of independent invention History In early Tamil literature the great Chera rulers are referred to as Cheral Kuttuvan Irumporai Kollipurai and Athan Origin The origin of the word “Pandya” has been a subject of much speculation South India is the area encompassing India 's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union The Tamil Sangams are legendary assemblies of Tamil scholars and poets that according to traditional Tamil accounts existed in the remote past It hase been extensively used by Maravar pada of Travancore army. Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor ( Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര്‍ "Thiru" (respectful prefix which suggests either royal or

The references to "Silappadikkaram" in Tamil Sangam literature dating back to the 2nd century refer to the sale of Silamabam staves, swords, pearls and armor to foreign traders. Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years 300 BCE and 600 CE The ancient trading centre at the city of Madurai was renowned globally and said to be thronged by Romans, Greeks, and Egyptians among others who had regular sea trade with the ancient Tamil kings. Madurai The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The silambam staff was one of the martial art weapons, which was in great demand with the visitors. ^[1]^[2]

After the art spread to the Malay world, "Silambam" came to refer to the art as well as the weapon. The concept of the Malay World is based on the idea of a Malay race, and refers to a cultural and linguistic sphere of influence covering the archipelago of modern-day Several Malay martial arts such as Silat also incorporated the silambam. Silat is an umbrella term used to describe the martial art forms practiced throughout the Malay Archipelago.

The Maravar pada of Travancore kings used "Silambam" in their warfare against enemies. Travancore or Thiruvithaamkoor ( Malayalam: തിരുവിതാങ്കൂര്‍ "Thiru" (respectful prefix which suggests either royal or The soldiers of King Veerapandiya Kattabomman (1760–1799) relied mainly on their prowess in Silambam in their warfare against the British Army. Early life Veerapandiya Kattabomman was born to a Tamil warrior Jagaveera Kattabomman and Arumugathammal on January 3 1760 The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b Raj, J. David Manuel (1977). The Origin and the Historical Developlment of Silambam Fencing: An Ancient Self-Defence Sport of India. Oregon: College of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Univ. of Oregon, pp. 44, 50, & 83.
^ Sports Authority of India (1987). Indigenous Games and Martial Arts of India. New Delhi: Sports Authority of India, pp. 91 & 94.

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