Varma Kalai (

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

: ''varmakkalai'',

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

and

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

: ''marma-vidya/marmam'') is an Indian traditional art of pressure points. It combines massage, alternative medicine, traditional yoga and

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

in which the body's pressure points (''varmam'') are manipulated to heal or cause harm. The healing application called ''Vaidhiya Murai'' is part of Siddha medicine (''siddha vaidyam''). Its combat application is known as ''

Adimurai Adimurai is an Indian martial art originating in modern-day Kanyakumari, the southernmost region in India. It was traditionally practiced in the Kanyakumari district of modern-day Tamil Nadu as well as nearby areas in southeastern Kerala. I ...

'' (it includes a component called ''Varma Adi'', meaning "pressure-point striking") can be done either empty-handed or with a blunt weapon such as a stick or staff. ''Varma Kalai'' is usually taught in the advanced stage of

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 ...

, and

Silambam Silambam is an old Indian martial arts, Indian martial art originating in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This style is mentioned in Tamil Sangam literature. The World Silambam Association is the official international body of Silamba ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

;Stevens, B; ''From Lee to Li'', HarperCollins 2009 strikes are often targeted at the

nerves A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons). Nerves have historically been considered the basic units of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses called ...

and soft tissues.

History

Folk traces varma kalai to the god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

who is said to have taught it to his son

Murugan Kartikeya (/ kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda ( /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/ sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha ( /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan (/ mʊɾʊgən/), is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the ...

. While disguised as an old man, Murugan passed the knowledge of 108 ''Varmams'' to the sage

Agastya Agastya was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the Indian tradition, he is a noted recluse and an influential scholar in diverse languages of the Indian subcontinent. He is regarded in some traditions to be a Chiranjivi. He and his wife ...

who then recorded it and disseminated the skill among his students. Nadars tribe believes varma kalai was given to them by Agastya . Siddha medicine is also attributed to Agastya. With numerous other scattered references to ''Varmam'' in Vedic and epic sources, it is certain that

's early fighters knew and practiced attacking and defending vital points. Knowledge of the body's vital points in India included not only humans but also elephants. Known as ''nila'', learning these points on an elephant's body was and remains necessary for

mahout A mahout is an elephant rider, trainer, or keeper. Mahouts were used since antiquity for both civilian and military use. Traditionally, mahouts came from ethnic groups with generations of elephant keeping experience, with a mahout retainin ...

s. Prodding particular nila with a stick elicits various responses such as bringing the animal under control or making them kneel. Warriors would learn to attack certain nila on opposing war-elephants during battle, which could either kill or frighten the animals. The national museums of

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

have documented at least 86 nila and their functions.

Schools

Varma kalai is attributed to several Siddhars, namely

, Bogar, Theriyar, Pulipani and famously Avvaiyar. Out of these, only the Agastya school is commonly practiced in Tamil Nadu and in the neighboring state of

References

{{Indian martial arts Siddha medicine Kalarippayattu Massage therapy Indian martial arts

History

Schools

See also

References