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Varma Kalai (also spelled Varmakalai or Varmakkalai) (means "the art of vital points") is an ancient martial art which has its origins in Tamil Nadu state of former Thamizhakkam (present day South India). The art itself originally began as a healing art from Varma Cuttiram (the Tamil science of Medicine), which later turned into a martial art. Thus the name Varma Kalai.
The attacks in Varma Kalai are meant for self defence and though they target the vital points throughout the human body, the emphasis is on stopping an attacker without actually damaging him permanently. Even in the most extreme situations there is an emphasis on using as little violence as possible. Varma Kalai teaches one to attack with or without weapons. The effect of Varma Kalai based offences is effective yet rarely damaging a human being. One who teaches and masters this art is called aasaan (Tamil for 'master').
According to legends, the art itself was learned by wrongdoers and this upset the masters who trusted in the characters of their disciples. This led to a code of secrecy in which a master never teaches all of what he knows to one man. A few secrets on how to counter the misuse of the act are always safe with a chosen few who excel in the art and have unimpeachable moral values.
Bodhidharma, who was from Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, practiced the Tamil martial arts of Varma Kalai and Kuttu Varisai. In China, he settled down in the Shaolin Monastery in Henan. There he influenced Shaolin kung fu with techniques from Varma Kalai and Kuttu Varisai, including Luohan techniques, pressure point attacks, and animal stances (such as the tiger, elephant, snake, eagle and monkey).
Though Varma Kalai is still taught at Tamil Nadu the art is not popular with the youth who choose to study less time-consuming martial arts. Worth mentioning is the fact that it would take about 10 years for a student to learn about 75% of Varma Kalai his master knows.
Kundalini and Varmakalai
If one has to know about Varma kalai it is very important to know about Kundalini yoga. The Kundalini yoga masters teach only about Seven Chakras in human body, where as there are 108 Chakras and how to concentrate them.
The Chinese call Kundalini Chi, or Qi Energy. Science doesn't accept this concept scientifically, but the Chinese practice of acupuncture shows some positive signs in curing their patients. It is one way of channeling the energy of Kundalini and tuning and releasing the blocked energy in human body.
External Links
- Thamizhar Martial Arts. Alex Doss.
- Varma Kalai: The Martial Art from Tamil Nadu
- Thirumoolar Varmalogy Institute