Wednesday, 29 July 2015

Varmam - An ancient martial art of healing and self defence

Varmam is an ancient art of fighting and healing which originated in South India. Varmam is practiced by studying the varmas in the body. Varmas are vital points of energy and it is possible to cure various ailments in the body by healing the affected Varma points.But,attacking a person in the varma points can prove to be fatal and hence this art is taught only to selected students.

 It is widely accepted that Bodhi Dharma,the founder of Zen Buddhism in China was one of the patriarchs of Shaolin Kung Fu.Bodhi Dharma was a South Indian prince who travelled to China to spread Buddhism.Kung Fu is a martial art known to all and even children love Kung Fu, thanks to Kung Fu Panda:).I even came across an article which said that  there is an inscription on the walls of Shaolin Temple which reads "Tenjiku Naranokaku" meaning "The fighting techniques to train the body from India".





Kung Fu 

It is said that Varmam is the root of all martial arts and Buddhist monks were instrumental in spreading this art to different countries. Martial arts like Varmam, Silambattam and Kalari were widely practiced in ancient South India but the number of practitioners has declined over the centuries.This is because the British government had banned Kalari and Silambattam in response to a series of revolts against them during the colonial era.

Silambattam

The art of Varmam originated from Lord Shiva who taught this to his wife Parvati.Lord Muruga   learnt Varmam from his mother Parvati. According to various palm-leaf manuscripts, Sage Agasthiar learnt the art of Varmam from Lord Muruga and revealed this knowledge to his disciples. It had thus been passed on for generations in the Guru - Shishya tradition.To learn Varmam, the disciples have to win the trust of their gurus by proving that they will use the skill only for the benefit of others.


Varma fighting technique Kalari

The practice of martial arts keeps the mind alert and body fit .It would be good to see the widespread revival of these ancient martial arts, which have played a major role in our culture, thereby restoring them to their  former glory.


Sources:

http://www.varmam.org/articles/HistoryOfVarmaKalai.php

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_martial_arts

http://www.butthan.net/history.html

https://www.facebook.com/thesanatanadharmis/posts/185161191669858

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Della_Valle

http://www.eegarai.net/t88969-topic

http://www.buddhakalari.com/kalarippayattu

2 comments: