Kalari Panicker / Kalari Kurup is an ethnic group belonging to the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

religion, who live in the Malabar (North Kerala) and central parts of the Indian state of

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 ...

. They were known as the masters of

Kalari A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of Kalaripayattu. The word ''kalari'' comes from Tamil. In the past, village schools in Tamilnadu, typically run by the traditional astrologer families, were k ...

tradition, having their ''Nalpatheeradi Kalari'' (a name derived from its area of 42 x 21 feet). They are the people who propagated and practiced

Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu (), also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art that originated on the southwestern coast of India, in what is now Kerala, during the 3rd century BCE. Etymology Kalaripayattu is a martial art which developed out of co ...

, the martial art form of Kerala. ''The titles Kurup and

Panicker Panicker was an honorary title conferred by the Kings in Kerala to distinguished individuals. This title was given to prominent Nair, Saint Thomas Christians, Kaniyar and Ezhava Communities. Panickers were landlords and they were prominent warr ...

are prevalent in several other communities in Kerala, e.g. Nair Kurup and

who belong to the Nair community, and should not be confused with Kalari Panicker or Kalari Kurup, they have distinct identities.''

History

Kalaris in Kerala were established during different periods of time. The formation of Kerala is interlinked to the story of

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According t ...

. It is believed that Parashurama established 108 kalaris across Kerala. Several kalaris were established during the reign of ''Kulasekharas''. In the 12th century towards the end of Perumal era, the present state of Kerala was divided into small autonomous provinces called ''Nadus'' and ruled by its own Kings. During the ''Kulasekhara'' rule and later the kings of ''Nadus'' brought in warriors from

Tulu Nadu Tulu Nadu, or Tulunad, is a region and Proposed states and union territories of India, proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (pl. 'Tuluver') are speakers of Tulu language, Tulu, a Dravidian langu ...

. The

Purananuru The ''Purananuru'' (, literally "four hundred oemsin the genre puram"), sometimes called ''Puram'' or ''Purappattu'', is a classical Tamil literature, Tamil poetic work and traditionally the last of the Eight Anthologies (''Ettuthokai'') i ...

poems mentions about such warriors. These warriors known as ''Nambi Kurup'' were helped by the kings to settle in Kerala by granting them land and wealth to maintain and upkeep kalaris.They used the martial arts mastery of the ''Nambi Kurup'' to settle their disputes and hence, existence of kalaris became prevalent. Kalari Panicker or Kalari Kurup are descendants of those ''Aacharyas'' or masters migrated from Tulu Nadu. The community which based on its traditional occupation around

, were given the title ''Kurup'' or ''Panicker'' by the kings and villagers and later came to be known as Kalari Kurup or Kalari Panicker.

Traditional occupations

Fencing masters from the Kalari Kurup / Kalari Panicker community historically taught

to the thiyya

Ezhava The Ezhavas, () also known as ''Thiyya'' or ''Tiyyar'' () in the Malabar region, and Chovar () in the south, are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the po ...

community in Kerala.Literacy in Traditional Societies - Google Book
in Traditional Societies-Google Books
/ref> Following the recommendations of Lord Richards, the British Administration in 1804 abolished the practice of martial arts and using weaponry in Kerala. As a result of this, ''Naalpatheeradi Kalaris'' were transformed into family temples. When the Kalari institutions were forcefully closed by the implementation of law, many Kalari masters adopted astrology as their occupation. Since then, the community has seen several scholars in astrology. During Kalaripayattu training and during wars, Kalaris offered Kalari Marma treatment. ''Kalari Gurukkal'' (Kalari Masters) were specially trained in administering these traditional treatments. They were also identified for their proficiency in ayurvedic medicines. More complex forms of marma treatment which give agility, flexibility and suppleness of the body through massage or ''Uzhichil'' were performed by the masters. Engandiyur Kalari

Masters from the Kalari Panicker community were also involved in providing preliminary education (reading and writing) to their students.

Dwelling

The Masters of ''Naalpatheeradi Kalari'' registered their presence in Kerala and were present at geographical limits between south of

Korapuzha Korapuzha, also known as Elathur River, is a short river of , with a drainage area of , flowing through the Kozhikode district of Kerala state in India. It is formed by the confluence of two streams, Akalapuzha and Punoor puzha which origin ...

and north of Aluva Puzha (Tributary of

Periyar Erode Venkatappa Ramasamy (17 September 187924 December 1973), commonly known as Periyar, was an Indian social activist and politician. He was the organizer of the Self-Respect Movement and Dravidar Kazhagam and is considered the architect o ...

river) comprising the South Malabar area, the present Palakkad, Thrissur and some parts of Ernakulam district coming under the Cochin Province.

Culture

Customs and Tradition

The customs and religious traditions followed throughout the length and breadth of Kerala is similar in nature and derives its base from the Arya-Dravida culture and religious traditions. The Kalaris were a unification of temple of worship and ground for training in martial arts. The structure and design of Kalari and the ''Devi'' or Goddess deities of the Temple is an indication of the Arya-Dravida influence in their tradition. Masters from Kalari Panicker community usually established their Kalari near the south west corner of their residence (''Tharavadu''). The Kalari typically has idols of Kalari Gods - the deities of War and the idols of great forefathers and ''Aacharyas''. Inside the Kalari premises a separate premise is designated to pay respects and prayers to the forefathers and the founders of the Kalari. This method of making idols of forefathers (founders of the Kalaris) as ''Guru Tharas'' is unique and makes this community distinct from most other castes in India.

Attire

Dressing style adopted by Kalari Panicker community was similar to that of the Nair in the Society. They used to wear ''mundu,'' a piece of white long cloth, fastened to their waist and also used to wear ''Randam Mundu,'' a similar small cloth which is folded neatly and put on the shoulder. They used to put sandal paste on the forehead, tighten their lengthy hair to a ''Kuduma'' and welcome the mornings with devotional Sanskrit chants. There was a society-imposed restriction that people of lower castes were not allowed to adorn or carry an umbrella made of palm leaves while on a journey. Since Kalari Panicker were masters to ''Savarna'' or upper castes, they were allowed to use the palm leaves' umbrellas.

Social status

The community is listed under the Other Class as published by the Government of Kerala.{{Cite web, url=https://www.keralapsc.gov.in/list-scheduled-castes-kerala-state, title=Kerala Public Service Commission - List of other backward classes

References

Social groups of Kerala Other Backward Classes Indian castes Ethnic groups in India