Kalarippayattu is one of the oldest surviving martial art forms in the world, native to Kerala, on India's southwestern coast. While its exact origins are difficult to date precisely, historians place its roots somewhere between 200 BCE and 600 CE, with the art form reaching its peak popularity between the 14th and 16th centuries.
According to tradition, the sage Parashurama—regarded in legend as the creator of Kerala—is credited with founding the martial art and establishing 108 original kalaris, training 21 gurus to carry the practice forward. Historically, Kalarippayattu was closely associated with Kerala's Nair warrior community, who trained rigorously in armed and unarmed combat, footwork, breathing techniques, meditation, and Marma Chikilsa—a traditional healing therapy based on the body's vital points. Because of this holistic approach combining combat, discipline, and medicine, Kalarippayattu is often described as one of the earliest comprehensive martial systems, and is sometimes referred to as the "mother of martial arts."
Every village in Kerala traditionally maintained its own kalari to train the next generation, and the art form flourished through centuries of regional conflict between South Indian dynasties. Today, Kalarippayattu is recognized both as a martial discipline and as an important part of Kerala's cultural and social heritage, practiced and studied by enthusiasts around the world.
Indian Kalarippayattu Federation (IKF), established in 1995 and registered under the Charitable Societies Act, aims to promote Kalarippayattu and propagate its values worldwide. IKF is officially recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, as the national body for the promotion of Kalarippayattu in the country.
Through structured training programs, state and national championships, gurukkal-led coaching, and cultural exchange programs, IKF works to preserve and popularize this rich heritage, supporting athletes, coaches, and enthusiasts across India and abroad. The federation also works with affiliated state associations to standardize training and competition rules nationwide.
Promote and preserve Kalarippayattu as a competitive sport and a living cultural tradition
Organize state and national level championships, workshops, and training camps
Standardize training methods, grading, and competition rules across affiliated state bodies
Support the practice and study of Marma Chikilsa and traditional healing methods associated with Kalarippayattu
Propagate the ethical and philosophical values of Kalarippayattu to practitioners across India and abroad
Every kalari (training hall) is far more than a gymnasium—it is a sacred, purpose-built space steeped in ritual. Traditionally oriented east-west with a low roof and mud floor sunk below ground level, the kalari is designed to keep training cool and centred. The soil is often mixed with medicinal herbs believed to aid in healing minor training injuries.
A seven-tiered altar in the south-western corner of the kalari, symbolizing the body's seven chakras. Practitioners make offerings of flowers here to Goddess Bhadrakali, the patron deity of the kalari.
A second sacred spot between the Poothara and the western pillar, dedicated to the memory of the nameless, ancient masters who first shaped the art form.
Students enter the kalari right foot first, bow to the guru, and offer dakshina before training begins—a practice that has carried the art from teacher to student for generations.
A student's progress through each stage of training is marked by rituals and pujas, most notably during the Navaratri festival, when the tools and traditions of the kalari are formally honored and passed forward.
Kalarippayattu's mythological origins are attributed to the sages Agastya and Parashurama, credited in legend with founding the art's southern traditions and establishing the earliest kalaris across Kerala.
Kalarippayattu-trained fighters such as Velu Thampi Dalawa and Pazhassi Raja put the art to use in resistance against colonial forces, while folk heroes like Aromal Chekavar and Unniyarcha live on through Kerala's Vadakkan Pattukal ballads.
Instrumental in Kalarippayattu's 20th-century revival, this guru-student pair brought the art out of the traditional kalari and into public view—famously performing before Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1954—and went on to found the CVN Kalari Sangham in 1956, an institution still training practitioners today.
Sankaranarayana Menon, known as Unni Gurukkal (1929–2023), elevated Vallabhatta Kalari to international prominence, opening training centres across the UK, US, France, Belgium, and Sri Lanka. His decades of work promoting and preserving Kalarippayattu earned him the Padma Shri.