A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of

Kalaripayattu Kalaripayattu (), also known simply as Kalari, is an Indian martial art that originated on the southwestern coast of India, in what is now Kerala, during the 3rd century BCE. Etymology Kalaripayattu is a martial art which developed out of co ...

. The word ''kalari'' comes from

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

. In the past, village schools in

Tamilnadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

, typically run by the traditional astrologer families, were known by the name ''kalari''. Later schools for teaching language and grammar started calling in the name

Ezhuthu Kalari Ezhuthu Kalari, a Malayalam term refers to the old traditional village schools in Kerala. These institutions were the major centers for initiating elementary education. Most of the children in the past had to attend these centres for learning 3R ...

Kalari teachers

The teacher of a kalari is called a Gurukkal or

Asan Asan (; ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 400,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs an ...

. Teachers of

or Ezhuthu Palli were referred to as

or ''Ezhuthassan''.

Construction of a kalari

Traditionally, the kalari is constructed by digging a hollow in the ground, forming a sunken area four feet in depth, forty-two feet in length and twenty-one feet in breadth. This is usually called ''kuzhikalari''. Kuzhi means "portions formed by caving in the earth" in

. The entrance to the Kalari is in the east, to let in the morning sunlight, and leads into the 42-foot leg running east–west while the 21-foot leg runs north–south. Another consideration taken when constructing the kalari is that it is built in the south-west side of the main plot. The floor of the kalari is leveled using mud. In southern and central

, some kalaris were constructed in a circular form, with weapons and other instruments being placed on one end, and students sitting outside the circular arc to watch the training.

''Ankakalari'' and ''ankathattu''

Ankathattu Ankam is a Malayalam word meaning combat or battle, typically fought with swords called 'Churika' in Malabar of Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 Novem ...

is a 4 to 6 foot high platform constructed temporarily for the purpose of fighting duels. ''

Ankam Ankam is a Malayalam word meaning combat or battle, typically fought with swords called 'Churika' in Malabar of Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 Novem ...

'' means war in

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

. This platform is constructed as per tradition and is in the center of the ground from where people can watch the fight. The entire arrangement is called a''nkakalar''. Historically, in

, quarrels between local rulers were resolved by fixing an ''ankam'', a duel to the death, between two ''ankachekavar''s, each ruler being represented by one ''ankachekavar''. The ruler represented by the surviving ''ankachekavar'' was considered the winner.

References

{{Indian Martial Arts Kalarippayattu Hindu temple architecture