Tamil Martial Arts: Varma Ati -To heal and to harm

"Martial and fighting arts have existed on the South Asian subcontinent since antiquity but have only recently begun to receive scholarly attention. Based on field work conducted between 1976 and 1989, this essay focuses on the central role that the vital play in two closely related SouthIndian martial traditions still practiced today--kalarippayattu of Kerala State and varma ati of Tamil Nadu State and Travancore District of Kerala State. "