The aruval (
ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
Me ...
: ) is a type of
billhook machete from
southern India, particularly common in the
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...
and
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...
.
It is also known as the koḍuvāḷ, the kodavali, the machchu longu or the koita. It is a type of long
sickle with a
knife-like
scythe
A scythe (, rhyming with ''writhe'') is an agriculture, agricultural hand-tool for mowing grass or Harvest, harvesting Crop, crops. It was historically used to cut down or reaping, reap edible grain, grains before they underwent the process of ...
-handle, and is used both as a tool and a weapon. Tamils revere the weapon as a symbol of
Karupannar. In popular culture, it is sometimes associated with gangsters, especially in the
Rayalaseema region. In Kerala, its primary use is for agriculture, mainly in coconut cutting, clearing pathways, cutting wood and other uses.
Introduction
An aruval usually measures in length (hand sickle measures ). The blade of this weapon originates at the grip and extends to the main part of the blade. It can be described as a sickle with an extension. It can also be thought of as a
sword
A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
with a reverse curve. The shorter versions were handy for breaking apart
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
s, and the longer versions were more like battle weapons. The shorter version is usually seen in small villages.
Blade
A blade is the Sharpness (cutting), sharp, cutting portion of a tool, weapon, or machine, specifically designed to puncture, chop, slice, or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they a ...
s are mostly straight with a curve towards the end, allowing it to function as a grabbing tool. The straight portion of the blade is also used for cutting, like a standard knife.
Variants and usage
While farmers typically employ the standard billhook machete ''kathir aruvāl'' ''
koyttharivaal'' for harvesting crops, a longer variation called the ''veecharuvāl'' is used for clearing through wooded areas. In Kerala, Malayalam language references the semi-circular knife for paddy, called "koduval" and the regular sized billhook machete is known as "vaakathi" (coconut cutting); while the veecharuval is known simply as aruval. The veecharuval was also used as a weapon and is still used as such for self-defence in rural areas or gang warfare in cities. When not in use, the weaponised aruval was worn on the back, with the blade pointing downwards and the handle just behind the user's head. Some aruvals, such as those used for
Khaval Dheivam, are in length.
The aruval is often used for worshipping Hindu deities, such as
Karuppu Sami and
Aiyanar.
Craftsmen have made large, decorative aruval which are kept in temples, such as those in
Sivagangai and
Thiruppachethi. In 2017, an aruval measuring was forged in
Thirupuvanam.
In culture
The aruval is a common fixture in many
south Indian movies, in which it is often used as a weapon.
The hero or villain often has the aruval in a sleeve sewn into the inside back of his shirt, and will pull it out by reaching behind his neck. The film historian
S. Theodore Baskaran has stated that using aruval as a weapon is largely a narrative cliche, and non-fictional murders using it occur relatively rarely.
Nevertheless, the government prohibits aruvals over for general purchase, as well as the veecharuvāl.
In Maharashtra particularly Pune, Koita gangs are famous.
An aruval was among the weapons used by
the title character of ''
Kraven the Hunter''.
See also
*
Aiyanar
*
Billhook
*
Karuppu Sami
*
Machete
*
Madurai Veeran
*
Village deities of South India
*
Kraven the Hunter
References
{{reflist, refs=
[{{cite news , title=27-ft aruval to be unveiled today at Thirupuvanam , url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/27-ft-aruval-to-be-unveiled-today-at-thirupuvanam/articleshow/57320085.cms , access-date=3 February 2024 , work=]The Times of India
''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
, date=24 February 2017
[{{cite news , last1=Thirunavukarasu , first1=S , title=Sivagangai: 18-foot aruval to adorn hand of village deity , url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/in-other-news/160716/sivagangai-18-foot-aruval-to-adorn-hand-of-village-deity.html , access-date=3 February 2024 , work=]Deccan Chronicle
''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...
, date=16 July 2016 , language=en
[{{cite web , title=Did Tamil films give the aruval a bad name? , url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com/news/big-story/is-the-thiruppachethi-aruval-a-tool-or-a-weapon-111633679832798.html , website= Mintlounge , access-date=3 February 2024 , language=en , date=12 October 2021]
Edged and bladed weapons
Machetes
Weapons of India
Indian martial arts