KalariandKalarippayattuof Kerala, South India: nexus of the celestial, the corporeal, and the terrestrial

Abstract

Kalari is an arena that imparts a whole body of knowledge in Kerala, south India, including kalarippayattu (martial arts). In recent times, these centers have been exclusively referred to as cultural performance centers, corroding the intrinsic value and diluting the religious essence of such places and praxis. This essay explores kalari and kalarippayattu from a Hindu religious perspective and suggests that kalari and kalarippayattu embody the celestial and terrestrial in its spatial and corporeal representations. Divided into two sections, the essay first discusses some historical background of kalari and kalarippayattu traditions; and, secondly, from a bhakti perspective it examines kalari and kalarippayattu, proposing it to be a nexus of the celestial, corporeal, and terrestrial.

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