Famous Martial Arts in India

India is famous for its wide ethnicity and different art forms. It is also famous for its art forms which have been engraved in the minds of people around the world. People remember these forms as they originated in the ancient period and are still practised all over the world. 

These are also used in festivals and rituals, sports, means of physical fitness, and also as self-defence. Many are also related to Yoga, gymnasium, and dance art. The famous and most prevalent martial arts are explained below.

The Top 10 Most Famous Martial Arts in India

India is a diverse country ranging in all forms of culture. Martial arts refers to the fighting system of the Indian Subcontinent. They do have some specific disciplines to the individual martial art. 

Talking about history, martial arts was earlier named as yuddha-Kala. It comes from the word yuddha meaning fight. Kala meaning battle formation and strategizing.

Following are the Details of the Top 10 Most Famous Martial Arts in India

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Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu originated in modern-day Kerala. It is known for its longest-standing history and is the oldest surviving martial art.

Kalaripayattu refers to “ practice in the arts of the battlefield “. It differs from another martial art system in India. Here, weapon-based and bare-handed techniques are taught one after the other. The bare-handed technique requires rigid training and some time. It includes kicks, strikes, grappling, preset forms, weapons, and healing methods. Warriors trained in this martial art use very light and basic body armour. Using heavy armour may hinder the body’s flexibility.Kalaripayattu incorporates elements from the yoga tradition and finger movements in the nata dances.

Silambam

The word derives from the Tamil word silam, which means hill. The Silambam was named after its weapon, the bamboo staff. Earlier it was used as a self-defence and also to ward off animals. 

Talking about its training criteria, the initial stages of Silambam practice provide a core of fighting. It also includes basic body conditioning. Other things taken into note are flexibility, agility, kinesthetic awareness, strength, hand-eye coordination, cardiovascular stamina, and balance. It is one of the most famous martial arts in India.

Silambam’s focus is on the bamboo staff. The length depends upon the height of the practitioner.

Huyen Langlon

Huyen Langlon is categorized under the topmost famous martial arts in India. It is the Indian martial art from Manipur. It contains two main components namely armed and unarmed fighting. 

Thang ta refers to armed combat and Sarit sarak refers to unarmed fighting. The primary weapons of thang ta are swords and spears. The use of weapons comes under thang ta.

Sarit sarak includes hand strikes, grappling, and kicks. Huyen lang long is somewhat closely related to Burmese bando and banshay.The basic training begins with the stepping pattern and sword strikes.

Thoda

It is a famous martial art in India. Thoda is the martial art form of the region of Himachal Pradesh. The name is derived from the round piece of wood that is fixed to the head of the arrow. 

It has a historical track traced back to the days of Mahabharata. This famous martial art of India has its origins in Kullu. The equipment used is bows and arrows.

It is celebrated on Baisakhi day. The competition is a mixture of martial art and sport. Here, the archers are divided into two teams namely Sathi and Pashi. 

The Thoda is played in a marked court. It ensures that some sort of discipline is maintained in the game among participants.

Gatka

Gatka is the Sikh martial art. The Sikhs of Punjab practice an early variant of martial art. It is the martial art form of stick fighting with a wooden stick. 

Gatka is now popular as a sport and is often shown during Sikh festivals. It is also referred to as a sword dance performance. 

Throwing light on its competition, Khel is the modern competitive form of Gatka. It was originally used as a method of sword training. It is also referred to as stick fighting. Practised in India and Pakistan by the Tanoli and Gurjara community.

Lathi

It is a traditional Bangladeshi martial art form. It is one of the famous martial arts in India. A kind of stick fighting is mainly practised in Bangladesh. 

The instrument used in Lathi sport is made of male bamboo and bound at short intervals with iron rings. A typical instrument measures 6 to 8 feet. In the past, sticks were paired with shields. This pair can also be seen in nori bari, meaning mock stick fight.

The participant performing is called lathial. The performers act like Baoi Jhak ( group fight ), Dao Khel ( mock fight including sharp weapons ), nori bari ( mock fight including sticks ).

Inbuan Wrestling

Inbuan Wrestling is a form of wrestling native to the Mizoram region. It is said to have originated in the village of Dungtlang. After the migration of Mizo people from Burma to Lushai Hills, this was recognized as a sport. 

The game involves some very strict rules which prohibit stepping out of the circle and bending the knees. The sport is held in a circle of 15-16 feet in diameter. The matches are held in 3 rounds each ranging between 30 to 60 seconds in duration. 

The other variant of the sport involves catching the belt worn around the wrestler’s waist by the opponent player or wrestler.

Kuttu Varisai

Kuttu Varisai being listed under the topmost famous martial arts in India. It is considered one of the most ancient art forms. It teaches how to fight unarmed ( with hands and feet ). This form of martial art is very popular in South India

The sport is played by striking and defending by following the orders in a disciplined manner at rapid speed. 

This martial art is an integral part of one of the most famous martial arts in India. It is a part of silambam. It is now referred to as the other martial art form. In Kuttu Varisai, the same postures are used, but without a bamboo stick.

Musti Yuddha

Musti Yuddha or fist combat is also referred to as muki boxing. It is the only surviving unarmed style. The fighters undergo rigorous training for many years. They toughen their fist against a stone or hard surfaces. They practice this until they are capable of breaking the coconut with their bare fist.

The matches vary between one on one, or one against the group, group against the group.

This martial art is found in other countries by different names. They are named Muay Thai in Thailand, Muay Laos in Laos, Leithwei in Myanmar, Pradal Serey in Cambodia.

Phari Kanda

The Phari Kanda martial arts refers to the fighting system which was created by the Rajputs. Phari Kanda is still practised in many parts of India. Phari Kanda steps and techniques are used in Chau dance.

Phari refers to shield and Khanda refers to the sword. As the name suggests, this form uses a sword and shield.