Adimurai is a Tamil martial art originating in modern-day
Kanyakumari
Kanniyakumari (; , referring to Devi Kanya Kumari), also known as Cape Comorin, is a city in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland I ...
, the southernmost region in
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. It was traditionally practiced in the
Kanyakumari district
Kanniyakumari district is one of the 38 districts in Tamil Nadu state and the southernmost district in mainland India. It stands second in terms of population density among the districts of Tamil Nadu. It is also the richest district in Tamil Nad ...
of modern-day
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
as well as nearby areas in southeastern
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...
. Its preliminary empty-hand techniques are called Adithada and application of
vital point
derive from the supposed meridian points in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurveda and Siddha medicine, and martial arts. They refer to areas on the human body that may produce significant pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often cau ...
s are called Varma Adi, although these terms are sometimes interchangeably used to refer to the martial art itself.
Adimurai is a portmanteau in the
Tamil language
Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of Pud ...
where ''adi'' means "to hit or strike" and ''murai'' means method or procedure. In modern period it is used alongside other Tamil martial arts.
History
Adithadi is a non-lethal version of Adimurai which was developed in the
Tamilakam
Tamiḻakam ( Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Na ...
region of ancient
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. It saw most of its practice in the
Chola
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century B ...
and
Pandya kingdoms, where preliminary empty hand techniques were used.
Practice
Adimurai is traditionally practiced outdoors or in unroofed areas. It is mainly practiced by
Thevar
The Mukkulathor people, who are also collectively known as Thevar, are a community or group of communities native to the central and southern districts of Tamil Nadu, India. They comprise the Agamudayar, Kallar and Maravar communities that s ...
,
Kallars, and
Nadar
Gaspard-Félix Tournachon (5 April 1820 – 20 March 1910), known by the pseudonym Nadar, was a French photographer, caricaturist, journalist, novelist, balloonist, and proponent of heavier-than-air flight. In 1858, he became the first perso ...
of southern
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...
.
In pop culture
Adimurai was depicted in the film ''
Pattas
''Pattas'' () is a 2020 Indian Tamil-language martial arts film written and directed by R. S. Durai Senthilkumar and produced by Sathya Jyothi Films. It stars Dhanush in dual role with Sneha, Mehreen Pirzada, and Naveen Chandra while Nassar ...
'' (2020) starring
Dhanush
Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja (born 28 July 1983), known professionally as Dhanush, is an Indian actor, producer, director, lyricist and playback singer who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Starring in 46 films over his career, among hi ...
, directed by
R. S. Durai Senthilkumar.
See also
*
Angampora
Angampora is a Sinhalese martial art that combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and meditation. A key component of angampora is the namesake ''angam'', which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and ''illangam'', involving the ...
*
Banshay
Banshay ( my, ဗန်ရှည်, ) is a weapon-based martial art from Myanmar focusing primarily on the sword, staff and spear. Influenced by both Indian and Chinese sources, it is closely related to similar Southeast Asian systems such as T ...
*
Bataireacht
*
Bōjutsu
, translated from Japanese as "staff technique", is the martial art of stick fighting using a bō, which is the Japanese word for staff. Staffs have been in use for thousands of years in Asian martial arts like Silambam. Some techniques involve ...
*
Gatka
Gatka (; ; hi, गतका; ur, ) is a form of martial art associated primarily with the Sikhs of the Punjab and other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans. It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate s ...
*
Jūkendō
is the Japanese martial art of bayonet fighting,Stevens, J. (1985): "The Founder, Ueshiba Morihei." In R. Strozzi-Heckler (Ed.): ''Aikido and the new warrior'' (pp. 5–22). Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic. ()Mather, J. (1990): "A Sensei's story: ...
*
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and i ...
*
Kendo
is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and has spr ...
*
Kenjutsu
is an umbrella term for all ('' ko-budō'') schools of Japanese swordsmanship, in particular those that predate the Meiji Restoration. Some modern styles of kendo and iaido that were established in the 20th century also included modern forms ...
*
Krabi–krabong
*
Kuttu Varisai
*
Mardani khel
*
Silambam
*
Silambam Asia
The Silambam Asia (SILA) ( ta, சிலம்பம் ஆசியா) (IAST: Silambam Āsiyā) is the official international body of Silambam for the Continent of Asia and a Non-Governmental Organization recognized by the World Silambam Assoc ...
*
Tahtib
*
Thang-ta
Huyen langlon is an Indian martial art from Manipur. In the Meitei language, means war while or can mean net, knowledge or art. consists of two main components: thang-ta (armed combat) and sarit sarak (unarmed fighting). The primary weapo ...
*
Varma kalai
*
World Silambam Association
*
Silat
is the collective term for a class of indigenous martial arts from the Nusantara and surrounding geocultural areas of Southeast Asia. It is traditionally practised in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, Southern Phi ...
*
Kbachkun boraan
References
Indian martial arts
Dravidian martial arts
Tamil martial arts
Kalarippayattu
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