kings ruling in Tamil Nadu promoted Silambam fencing, as did their Chola and
Chera counterparts. Silapathiharam Tamil literature, dating back to 2nd
century A.D., refers to the sale of silamabam staves, swords, pearls and
armour to foreign traders.The ancient trading centre at Madurai city,
renowned globally, was said to be thronged by Romans, Greeks, Egyptians
among others who had regular sea trade with the ancient Dravidian kings. The
silambam staff was one of the martial art weapons, that was in great demand
with the visitors.
The use of the long staff for self - defence or mock - fighting was a highly
organised game in the state as early as the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D. In
the Vedic age, young men were imparted training to defend themselves with
staves, both as a ritual and an emergency. The staves wielded by ace fencers
were given distinctive names, and treated with reverence. Some records trace
the origin of this art to a divine source - Lord Muruga, and within the
Tamil mythological framework, sage Agasthya is also credited with the
genesis of Silambam. Silambam is believed to have travelled from Tamil Nadu
to Malaysia, where it is now a popular recreational sport and also a mode of
self - defence.
Four different types of staves are used in this activity. One produces a
sonorous, swishing sound, another involves lighted balls of cloth at one end
of the staves, called 'torch silambam', a third is quite short in length
nevertheless powerful, and finally a non - elastic staff that produces a
Today this rather simplistic art form is a mode of self defence used by the
common folk of Tamil Nadu.
Silambam incorporates a range of techniques.
a) By swift foot movements, large spheres of control can be established.
b) Both hands can be used to wield the staff.
c) Precision, force and momentum can be developed at head, shoulder, hip and
d) The cut, chop, thrust and sweep can be used to achieve mastery.
e) Development of a reflex defensive action, by concentrating on and
anticipating the moves of the opponent and perfecting various kinds of
feints in stroke play, can absolutely demoralise an adversary.
The player must also be able to ward off stones hurled by a crowd, and
disperse an unruly mob by a range of strokes like 'monkey hits', 'snake
hits', 'hawk hits' and 'spring hits', which must be inflicted in quick
succession. This activity involves some amazing footwork, staff - swinging,
pivot - jumping and stroke play. From a purely defensive art, Silambam has
become a combat exercise.
Silambam is a three - type contest.
a) A fight to the finish, when one of the players is dispossessed of his
b) Total number of ' touches ' one combatant makes on the other ( indicated
by appropriate markings on the body ).
c) Skill shown in protecting a pouch of money ( kept at or in between a
contestant's feet ).
The contestant succeeding in leaving a mark on the forehead of his opponent
is adjudged as the victor in the contest.
The contestants wear langots of various colours, sleeveless vests, turbans,
canvas shoes, and a chest guard which is a part of the traditional attire of
Palmyrah tree - climbers. Wicker - work shields also form an essential part
of the gear.
The contest begins with salutations to God, the competitor, the audience and
the guru. The result is determined on the basis of the number of touches
made by one contestant on another. To distinguish these touches, the ends of
the staves are coated with a sticky powder that leaves behind a mark . The
mark generally counts as one point, but in certain areas, a touch above the
waist counts as two points, while those made below get only one point. In
certain areas, the winner is one who makes a mark on his opponent's back,
while in others, the contestant who makes the first three touches on the
other's body wins. The contest comes to a close, after a period of time
fixed well in advance of the contest, or when one of the contestants is
dispossessed of his staff.
Silambam is fought on an even and hard surface, but never on a sandy or
slippery area. The arena of this activity is usually circular, the radius
not less than 20 ft and not more than 25 ft, when only two contestants are
involved. The duration ranges from 6 to 10 minutes, which is divided into
four equal quarters. An interval of one minute is allowed at the end of the
first and third quarters, while at the end of the second quarter an interval
of 3 minutes is allowed.