The primary function of Kalaripayat (school-fight) – or kalari abhyasam (practise leading to performance) is to protect the life energy (prana) of the Kerala. The Catturpadanista are the four qualities that the student needs to acquire until full mastery; they are maintained all life long:
- Manakarutha,
Mental power, spiritual force providing serenity and freeing from any fear.
- Meiarutha,
Suppleness, balance, power and quickness.
- Ankarutha,
Accuracy of the punch.
- Ayudakarutha,
Deep and qualitative knowledge of weapons.
Kalaripayat gathers all sorts of disciplines: offensive and defensive hand-to-hand techniques, swords, sticks, knives and spears … But Kalaripayat is not only a fighting art. It is also a life philosophy whose aim is to reach the purity of the mind and the body. If the body is ill, the mind is ill and conversely. According to sacred writings, it is highly recommended to become aware of one’s body and to abandon ego and pleasure, which are sources of suffering. Kalaripayat combines the art of fighting, medicine, philosophy and religion.
Like any other martial art, the fundamental goals of Kalaripayat are the acquiring of a life hygiene and the development of self-confidence; one has to learn how to face aggression and to know how to temper one’s own aggressiveness; the most violent people are not the most self-confident ones. Kalarapiyat mainly tends towards non-violence and cultivates introspection against the destructive aspects of human impulsiveness. Its practise calms down, relaxes and reassures. As far as physiology is concerned, it develops and maintains muscular tone, suppleness, balance and reflexes.
Aerial and flowing, it became an object of interest for a few occidental choreographers (Wim Vandekeybus, Bartabas…) who integrated this art into their researches.
Kalaripayat masters (gurrukal) practise yoga of course, since Kalaripayat gives absolute priority to breathing control and meditation. As an art of dodging and surprise, Kalaripayat is founded on the knowledge of marma (vital spots). A master knows how to neutralise the force of his opponent, but also to treat the injuries he inflicts. De facto profoundly linked to Ayurvedic medicine, Kalaripayat developed its own kalari-ayurvedic massage techniques and Kalaripayat masters are also therapists.
To protect themselves against animals during their trips, Kalaripayat forerunners first observed them attentively: elephants always fight turning their backs on, lions bend their heads over and lift their legs up forwards, tigers face their opponents to attack them, bears bend their heads down and make a rush straight ahead, snakes fight from top to bottom and bite from bottom to top…
These observations gave birth to the Asata Vadivu, the eight original techniques of hand-to-hand defence and attack, based on the postures of the eight animals. It is the most ancient Kalaripayat style that is still well-known and from which today’s other styles result such as vatten thiraptu, arrapukki, pillathangi, dronanbalny, otamurassery and wallavhatta.