Kalarippayattu: Encyclopedia II - Kalarippayattu - Main divisions of Kalarippayattu

Kalarippayattu - Main divisions of Kalarippayattu

• Vadakkan Kalarippayattu (Northern style), which is associated with the Naboothiri, Nair and Ezhava communities of the Malabar region

• Thekken Kalarippayattu (Southern style), is the style practiced in the Travancore area of Kerala. Roots can be traced back to the Sanghom period, when the southern parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu were part of old "Thamizhakam". This is associated with the Nairs of South Travancore and also with the Tamil speaking communities of Maravars, Nadars and Vellalas there.

Vadakkan style involves more elaborate graceful body movements and southern style involves very rapid economical and yet powerful movements.

Thekken style are the Tamil martial arts practiced in the princely state of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala and the Kanyakumari district of neighboring Tamil Nadu that variously go by the names ati tata (hit/defend), ati murai (law of hitting), varma ati (Tamil)/marma ati (Malayalam) (hitting the vital spots), or cheena ati (Chinese hitting) (Zarrilli, 1992). These arts claim descent from the rishi Agastya and, compared to kalarippayattu, place more emphasis on empty-hand techniques and less on weapons.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Main divisions of Kalarippayattu", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki