Silambam: Martial Arts of India

Synopsis

Silambam is one of the oldest martial arts in the world. It is a martial art which is mainly based on weapons, the most widely used weapon being a stick. Silambam has its roots in the state of Tamil Nadu, in South India.The word Silambam holds a meaning which describes the nature of the sport. Silam is ‘mountain’ and bam is ‘bamboo’ i.e. the main weapon used in this form of martial arts.In ancient days, pre-historic man used a bamboo stick to protect himself from approaching animals and inimical humans. Because of its usefulness, they always had the stick with them. When they went in search of food, they had to walk long distances. Playfully they swirled the sticks that they carried with them. As and when some inimical humans attacked them with sticks, they had to defend themselves with sticks.From then on various methods and techniques were discovered on how best to use a simple stick. These techniques include a variety of unique rotations and different methods of attacking and defending with a stick. Many moves were crafted after keenly observing different kinds of animals for e.g. rotation of a stick is associated with the trunk of the elephant, speed is related to a horse and when attacking is connected with a tiger.