Kalaripayattu Thekkady – The Ancient Martial Art of The World
With so many contributions to the world from India, Kalaripayattu is included among them. The ancient martial art as per the legend was originated in the 300 B.C, by Sage Parashurama. Originated in South India it is still a very famous sport in Kerala. It is not just for self-defense but also teaches you a sense of discipline in your daily life.
Kalari/Battleground
The traditional name for the classrooms for Kalaripayattu is called Kalari or the battleground. With different art forms, you can still find schools which teach Kalaripayattu in Kerala. If you wish to see Kalaripayattu on your Kerala trip, there are almost evening shows happening on a daily basis in Kerala. I got the opportunity to watch it myself on my Thekkady trip where every evening you can visit the theatres performing Kalaripayattu and Kathakali from 5 PM – 7 PM. Which is just amazing as the guys who practice it show you how good they are at it.
The Kalaripayattu Show
The show starts with paying tribute to the weapons and prayers followed by the warm-up. After which they start one after other demonstrating the use of different weapons in Kalaripayattu. Followed by the amazing stunts which will just amaze you when the shields throw sparks as the sword strikes it. Later they even involve the audience to join them in the human long jump where they jump crossing 5-10 people from the audience. The hour just ends with you not even knowing as you are amazed at the performances there.
Where to go
To see the whole performance of my visit to Thekkady you can watch the below video. There are many Kalari center’s performing the same on a regular basis and I visited the Mudra Kalari Centre as suggested by the homestay guy in Thekkady. Who also helped me get the tickets for the show which was the front seat with the best view of the whole show.