Cheena di (, former in contemporary

Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...

), or Cheenaadi, or occasionally, Chinna ati / Chaina pudi; and in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

Cheena Adi, is a

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

-derived martial art in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. Another viewpoint, due to self-proclaimed Cheena di Master Gunadasa Subasinghe is that the word Cheena di comes from Chennai (A)di, a martial art originally taught by Indian Immigrants in Sri Lanka (called "Kallathoni", the people who came to the island illegally in fishing boats from coastal South India and settled in the Southern parts of the island rather than in the Tamil predominant North) to their eventually street-fighting disciples called Chandi (, in contemporary

) of diverse native ethnicities, including the

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...

, as well as Sri Lanka Tamils, all living in the same poor-ish neighbourhoods.

History

According to urban folklore, it was first brought to Sri Lanka 1600 years ago by Shaolin monks on pilgrimage to the

Temple of the Tooth The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic or Sri Dalada Maligawa, ( si, ශ්‍රී දළදා මාළිගාව) is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the royal palace complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which ho ...

. It may have been brought to Sri Lanka by Chinese

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

missionaries who spread Chin Na, a subsystem included in many Kung fu styles, which focus on

grappling Grappling, in hand-to-hand combat, describes sports that consist of gripping or seizing the opponent. Grappling is used at close range to gain a physical advantage over an opponent, either by imposing a position or causing injury. Grappling i ...

. Its technique, weaponry and attire is similar to

Angampora Angampora is a Sinhalese martial art that combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and meditation. A key component of angampora is the namesake ''angam'', which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and ''illangam'', involving the ...

, which was influenced by South

Indian martial arts Indian martial arts refers to the fighting systems of the Indian subcontinent. A variety of terms are used for the English phrases “Indian martial arts”, deriving from ancient sources. While they may seem to imply specific disciplines (e.g. ...

. Cheena di and

are the two native martial arts of Sri Lanka. In general, Cheena di is said to be the more eclectic and evolving form of the two, assimilating useful techniques from whatever source it came across, such as from martial arts practised by various foreign traders and emigrants. Known practitioners include Masters Gunadasa Subasinghe, Wilbert Fernando, Oliver Sirisena (Gune Mahaththaya), and Wasantha Lanerolle (Kethe Sudu Mahaththaya). While some others have already re-branded themselves as Angampora practitioners.

Technique

Cheena di as demonstrated by masters mentioned above features an assortment of fist punches, open palm strikes, finger thrusts, forearm strikes, hammerfists, elbow strikes, knee strikes, shin strikes, kicks, sweeps, headbutts, jointlocks, and throws. The footwork is a combination of linear movement and full circle spinning movement, the latter being used to defend sneak attacks from behind.

References

{{reflist Sri Lankan martial arts

History

Technique

See also

References