The breath holding and mind boggling Silambattam: Tamil Nadu's millennium-old martial legacy.

Silambattam is guaged to be a weapon based martial art that is surmised to have germinated before one millennium in Tamil Nadu, India. This historical certitude is recorded in the sangam literature. When we pore over the pages of literature especially silappadikaram and sangam literature it is conspicuously glaring that silambam practice has been reigning supreme as a martial art since 4th century B.C. The term ‘silam’ in Tamil designates hill and ‘bambu’ is alluded to a special kind of bamboo from the kurinji hills. Thus silambam takes upon the name after it’s cardinal machete, the bamboo stick.

This might have been put to use as a mechanism for self defense in ancient days to avert and deflect the attacking animals in the kurinji hills. In the course of time it got fructified magnificently into the modern martial art. Adjudging the outset of silambam , oral fables allude to an empyrean phantasm where a spiritual savant named Agasthya had a divine assignation with Lord Murugan and assimilated strands of metaphysical regulations and conditions that embodied the rudiments of silambam, which he later reorientated into infallible, sanctified and unerring texts.

The primary and the maiden stages are envisaged to furnish a bedrock for the combat and it also chisels the body with alacrity, agility, tactile insight,poised equilibrium, corporeal robustness, fortified brawn and brain.
Silambam’s supreme motif is varily the bamboo staff itself. There is an indispensable and imperative connection and contact between the stick and the practitioner. There is a meticulous and scrupulous link between the two, slighting which may prove hazardous. For the final setting up and selection of the stick a myriad number of stages and precautions are adopted. The varied number of silambam are as follows maru,aruval, panthukol, savuku, val, kuttu kattai,katti, kattari, urumi and sedikuchi.

Another enchanting and awe inspiring information is that there are rampantly practiced 18 variant styles of silambattam are there. The time renowned and indelible dynasty of chera, chozha, pandya emperors were adherence of this sacred war tactics. The most fiery,robust, daring avenger Veera Pandya Kattabomman deserves a reverent and venerable mention and remark for implementing this warfare against the britishers poignantly and scathingly.

The most monumentous and memorable acceptance for silambattam happened when the committee of the United Nations Assembly lauded, recognized and accepted silambattam and recommended it for United Nations status. The veteran Tamil movie matinee idol MGR had incorporated silambattam in his movies from 1950 to 1960. It goes without saying that he himself was an ardent fervent and zealous practitioner of this art form.

Picture of Camila Risa M.S
Camila Risa M.S

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