Kalari

A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of Kalaripayattu. The word kalari comes from Malayalam and Tamil. Also, the past village schools of Kerala, run by the traditional astrologers families, were known by the name kalari or Ezhuthu Kalari.[1][2] It is also associated with the martial art of Varma adi.[3]

For other uses, see Kalari (disambiguation).

Kalari teachers

The teacher in kalari is called Gurukkal or Asan. Teachers of Ezhuthu Kalari or Ezhuthu Palli[4] too were known as Asan or Ezhuthassan.[5][6][7]

Construction of a kalari

Traditionally the kalari is constructed by digging a hollow in the ground forming a sunken area four feet in depth, forty-two feet in length and twenty-one feet in breadth. This is usually called kuzhikalari. Kuzhi means "portions formed by caving in the earth" in Malayalam. The entrance to the Kalari is in the east, to let in the morning sunlight, and leads into the 42-foot leg running east–west while the 21-foot leg runs north–south. Another consideration taken when constructing the kalari is that it is built in the south-west side of the main plot. The floor of the kalari is leveled using mud. In the southern and central Kerala some kalaries were constructed in circular form, and weapons and other instruments were placed on one end, and outside the circular arc the students used to sit and watch the training.

Ankakalari and ankathattu

Ankathattu is a 4 to 6 foot high platform constructed temporarily for the purpose of fighting duels. Ankam means war in Malayalam. This platform is constructed as per tradition and is in the center of the ground from where people can watch the fight. The entire arrangement is called ankakalar. Historically, in Kerala, quarrels between local rulers were resolved by fixing an ankam, a duel to the death, between two ankachekavars, each ruler being represented by one ankachekavar. The ruler represented by the surviving ankachekavar was considered the winner.

References
  1. Ayyappan, A (1965). Social revolution in a Kerala village: a study in culture change. New Delhi: Asia publication house. pp. 26–27.
  2. Bulletin of Madras Government Museum: New series, general section, Volume 5, Issue 1. Director of Stationary and Printing (1929). p. 28.
  3. Sieler, Roman. Lethal Spots, Vital Secrets: Medicine and Martial Arts in South India. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-027306-4. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  4. Mohan, Anupama (2012). Utopia and the Village in South Asian Literatures. New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 142.
  5. L. Krishna Anantha Krishna Iyer (Diwan Bahadur); The Cochin tribes and castes; 1909
  6. https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Hendrik_Adriaan_Van_Reed_Tot_Drakestein/rIZHDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=silgos(chegos)+usually+serve+to+teach+nayros&pg=RA1-PA8&printsec=frontcover
  7. https://archive.org/stream/LettersFromMalabar/Letters+from+Malabar_djvu.txt
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