Vidyut Jamwal walks for Manish Malhotra & Shaina NC's show for CPAA 22

Following is a list of

Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu (; also known simply as Kalari) is an Indian martial art that originated in modern-day Kerala, a state on the southwestern coast of India. Kalaripayattu is known for its long-standing history within Indian martial arts, and is ...

practitioners.

Legendary figures

Agastya Agastya ( kn, ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ, ta, அகத்தியர், sa, अगस्त्य, te, అగస్త్యుడు, ml, അഗസ്ത്യൻ, hi, अगस्त्य) was a revered Indian sage of Hinduism. In the I ...

, a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

sage, and one of the ''

Saptarishi The Saptarishi () are the seven rishis of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. ...

'' of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

, is credited with influencing the southern style of

, or ''Thekkan Kalari'' as per myth. *

Ayyappan Ayyappan an incarnation of dharma sastha, also called Manikandan, is a Hindu deity popular in Southern India, He is considered to be the epitome of dharma, truth, and righteousness and is often called upon to obliterate evil. Although devotion t ...

, prince of

Pandalam dynasty Pandalam dynasty (Malayalam:പന്തളം രാജവംശം) a royal dynasty emerged from a branch of Pandya kingdom. which existed in Kerala during the Kollam era. They came to Kerala fearing the assault of the Nayaks of Madurai. ...

and the deity of

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...

. *

Parashurama Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appear ...

, an avatar of the

deity

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, generally regarded as the founder of Kalaripayattu, especially the northern style or ''Vadakkan Kalari,'' as per myth.

12th century – 19th century

Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker Arattupuzha Velayudha Chekavar, also known as Kallisseril Velayudha Chekavar (7 January 1825 – 3 January 1874) was a 19th-century social reformer and warrior, known for his fight against many social evils prevalent in the state of Kerala. He ...

Aromal Chekavar Aromal Chekavar, also known as Puthooram Veettil Aromal Chekavar, was a legendary warrior who is believed to have lived during the 16th century in the North Malabar region of Kerala, India. He was a warrior from a Thiyyar community and a paramount c ...

Chandu Chekavar Chandu Chekavar (''Chathiyan Chanthu'', also known as Chandu Panicker), was a sixteenth-century warrior of the Chekavar family from the Hindu Thiyyar caste, mentioned in the folk songs of Northern Kerala called ''Vadakkan Pattukal''. He belongs t ...

* Giacomo Fenicio, an Italian Christian priest of

Arthunkal Arthunkal is a coastal town and a major pilgrim centre in the south Indian state of Kerala. It is 40 kilometre south of Cochin city and 21 kilometre north of Alleppey town. It is a rapidly developing satellite town of Kochi. Arthunkal lies in ...

. *

Kadhirur Gurukkal Kadhirur Gurukkal, also known as Mathiloor Gurukkal, was a martial artist of medieval India. He came from Kadirur, near to Thalasserry in the North Malabar region of present-day Kerala. He operated the Mathiloor Kalari, where Thacholi Othenan t ...

Kayamkulam Kochunni Kayamkulam Kochunni (born 1818) was a heroic outlaw from Kayamkulam, who lived during the late 19th century. He was active in the Travancore area in the present-day Kerala, India. He is said to have stolen from the rich and given to the poor. L ...

, an outlaw known for helping the poor. *

Keeleri Kunhikannan Keeleri Kunjikannan (1858–1939) was an Indian martial arts trainer and gymnast. He was one of the earliest circus owners in India. Life Kunhikannan was born in Thalassery in 1858. He was the gymnastic instructor of BEMP school, Thalassery. Hi ...

, a gymnast and martial artist. *

Thacholi Othenan Vadakkan Pattukal (literally, ''the songs of the north'') are a collection of Malayalam ballads from the medieval period. The songs present stories of heroes such as Aromal Chekavar and Thacholi Othenan, and heroines like Unniyarcha. The storie ...

* Thevar vellan, the warrior Thacholi othenan could not defeat because of martial art skills *

Unniyarcha Unniyarcha (sometimes spelled "Uñnįarcha") is a legendary warrior and heroine 16th century mentioned in the ''Vadakkan Pattukal'', a set of historical ballads from northern Kerala, a state in southwestern India. She was a member of a Thiyya ...

20th century – present

Adah Sharma Adah Sharma (born 11 May 1992), is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Hindi and Telugu-language films. Sharma, after finishing her schooling, made her acting debut with a leading role in the 2008 Hindi language horror film ''1920'', a box ...

, Indian actress. *

Aditi Rao Hydari Aditi Rao Hydari is an Indian actress who works mainly in Hindi and Tamil film industry. She made her film debut with the Malayalam film '' Prajapathi'' in 2006. She went on to have major to minor supporting roles in several Hindi films, includ ...

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

actress. * Akhila Sasidharan, Malayalam actress. *

Asin Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985), known mononymously as Asin, is a former Indian actress who appeared predominantly in Tamil, Hindi and Telugu films. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She has received three Filmfare Awards. She beg ...

, Indian actress. * C. Gangadharan, martial artist, PhD holder in Kalaripayattu. *

Dia Mirza Dia Mirza Rekhi (born Dia Handrich; 9 December 1981) is an Indian model, actress, producer, and social worker who predominantly works in Hindi films. Mirza won the title of Miss Asia Pacific International in 2000 after being crowned Femina Mis ...

, Bollywood actress. *

Jacqueline Fernandez Jacqueline Fernandez (born 11 August 1985) is a Sri Lankan actress and model. She has worked in Indian films, predominantly in Hindi, besides appearing in reality shows and music videos. Debuting with ''Aladin'' in 2009 she has since then es ...

, Bollywood actress. * Jasmine Simhalan, martial artist and classical dancer. * Lissy, Malayalam actress. *

Meenakshi Amma Meenakshi Amma Gurukkal (born 1942) is a practitioner and teacher of Kalaripayattu, the traditional martial arts form of Kerala, India. In 2017, she received Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award. Biography Meenakshi Amma Thiyya c ...

, a Kalaripayattu teacher and

Padma Sri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conferr ...

recipient. *

Parineeti Chopra Parineeti Chopra (; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. Chopra is a recipient of several accolades, including a Filmfare and a National Film Award. She has appeared in '' Forbes India'' Celebrity 1 ...

, Bollywood actress. * Phillip B. Zarrilli, a theatre actor, acting coach and academician, first PhD holder in Kalaripayattu. *

Ranbir Kapoor Ranbir Kapoor (; born 28 September 1982) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi-language films. He is one of the highest-paid actors of Hindi cinema and has featured in ''Forbes India''s Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Kapoor is the rec ...

, Bollywood actor. *

Sankara Narayana Menon Chundayil Sankara Narayana Menon Chundayil popularly known as Unni Gurukkal is a Kalaripayattu ''gurukkal'' or teacher from Chavakkad. For his contributions in the field of Kalaripayattu, he has won several noted awards including Kerala Folklore Academy ...

, Kalaripayattu teacher and

recipient *

Sanya Malhotra Sanya Malhotra (born 25 February 1992) is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. She began her career with supporting roles in the biographical sports film '' Dangal'' (2016) and the comedy ''Badhaai Ho'' (2018), both of which rank among t ...

, Bollywood actress. * Simhalan Madhava Panicker, martial artist and actor. *

Tiger Shroff Jai Hemant "Tiger" Shroff (born 2 March 1990) is an Indian actor and martial artist known for his work in the Indian cinema. He is best known for his Baaghi action franchise, ''Heropanti'' (2014) and ''War'' (''2019''). He has featured in For ...

, Bollywood actor. *

Vasundhara Doraswamy Vasundhara Doraswamy (born 1949) is the founder and director of Vasundhara Performing Arts Centre, Mysore (India). She is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, and guru (teacher). She is also one of the disciples of the late K. Pattabhi Jois, Sh ...

, a classical dancer and teacher. *

Vidyut Jammwal Vidyut Dev Singh Jammwal (born 10 December 1980) is an Indian actor, martial artist and film producer who predominantly works in Hindi films. He is also a practitioner of Kalaripayattu. He is best known for his roles in Commando film series, ...

, a

actor and Kalaripayattu endorser.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalaripayattu practitioners, List of Kalarippayattu Indian martial arts Dravidian martial arts Culture of Kerala