Posts tagged Kalaripayattu

The glorious days of kalaripayattu had set with the dawn of the 17th century, with increasing use of guns Kalari meaning school and Payattu meaning combat, Kalaripayattu is one of the advanced combat sciences of the world and has reproduced many a hero whose exploits are celebrated in legends and folk songs. In the past, each desom or locality had its kalari or gymnasium, presided over by the guardian deity called Kalari Paradevatha or Bhagavathi. Most of the heroes of medieval Kerala were products of the Kalari system. Both boys and girls received training in the kalari. It is the training and pratice in kalari that are known by the term kalaripayattu and this is valued very much from the point of view of physical culture. The whole philosophy underlying kalaripayattu is that the system is to be used only for noble causes and never for self aggrandisementand cannons.