Of weapons and worship

The Kalari Gurukulam at Chikka Gubbi is a long awaited dream come true for all enthusiasts of Kalaripayattu, the martial art form from the land of Kerala. The Gurukulam, as the term implies, is designed to provide the students of Kalaripayattu with a total learning experience of the art form by residing at the institute amidst teachers and other students and imbibing the essence of this martial art form. Apart from conducting regular classes the institute also aims at providing to be a resource and research centre for anything related to Kalaripayattu. Set in very serene surroundings, the Gurukulam derives its name from the ancient Indian practice of students learning and residing at the abode of the teacher. The hands behind the Gurkulam believe in borrowing some of the best practices from the past to enrich the present.    A lot of thought and subsequent planning has gone in to designing this centre of learning. The experience gained at the Gurkulam would last the student throughout and enables him to make use of the learning in his own life.

 Kalari Gurukulam will bring in Vijayadashami in all its splendour this October. The festival has its roots in the olden days of wars and weapons where the eight day of the Navarathri festival (Shastra Puja) was an occasion to worship the weapons used in war by kings. Weapons like sword, spears, bows and arrows were given in for a purification ritual and they would remain untouched during the whole day of the Puja. They would be taken out and used the next day, after performing the appropriate rituals.

As a festival, Vijayadashami is celebrated in varying forms not just across India but in Nepal too. Celebrated on the tenth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu autumn month of Ashvin or Ashwayuja, it is the grand culmination of the 10-day annual Navaratri ('nine nights') festival.

In Kerala, Vijayadasami has the added significance of being the auspicious day for starting formal education for children. The old practice of Shastra Puja has now been extended to books and tools of work. Students keep their books and workers their tools for puja on the eighth day of Navarathra (Durgashtami); these are taken back and used after puja on the tenth day (Vijayadasami). The essence behind this practice is to give the initiation of any formal course of study an auspicious beginning so that the course takes on a successful and fruitful bend. In fact this is so old that in many parts of Kerala, even non-Hindus follow this tradition. In 2004, many churches in Kerala formally adopted the same tradition of introducing young children to education on Dussehra day.

Shastra Puja goes back to the days of Kalaripayattu too, the ancient martial art form of Kerala. It was observed with a lot of piety and aplomb in those times. To take an example, the famous Kalari of the legendary Pazhassi Raja in Iritty has had special pujas conducted on this day through all the years. Unfortunately, the Kalari has not been at the pink of health after the downfall of Pazhassi Raja’s kingdom and the retreat of the British monarch from the soils of India. The building is in a dilapidated state.

The descendants of the mighty warrior king still keep the sacred Kalari under watch but the only time that the whole place comes to life is during the Navarathri festival. During this time, the special pujas conducted at the Kalari and the temple associated to it, are reminiscent of the olden days.

The kalari where Pazhashi Raja mastered the art

For those who are interested in the history and origin of this art form, there is a popular legend which goes on to say that the renowned SageParasurama, the warrior sage and  an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, created 108 Kalaris (learning grounds)  all across Kerala to help the people ward off the arrogant Kshatriyas. Parasurama himself is believed to have learnt this martial art form from Lord Siva.

The element of Godliness that is thus attached to Kalaripayattu is still retained and Gurukulam only aims at carrying the tradition forward by retaining the wealth of the olden days to the extent possible.

It would indeed be an experience to witness the  Shastra Puja at the  Gurukulam premises this October. Apart from reliving the past it would also be an opportunity to get to know more about this noble venture of passing on the valuable knowledge of the ancient and revered art form of Kalaripayattu.

About The Writer"The image of women fighting with weapons and defending themselves inspired me to take up Kalaripayattu. It came across as difficult when I started it but with practice and focus I have really begun to enjoy it," says Asha, a language teacher who joined Ranjan's class a year back.Asha Francis, works as a training lead at Hewlett Packard in Bangalore. Writing and Kalaripayattu are her two major passions. She trains in Kalaripayattu at KAPA, Bangalore, under Ranjan Mullarat. Asha can be contacted at ashfrancis@yahoo.com