| Part of a series on Indian martial arts |
|---|
| styles |
| Wrestling: Malla-yuddha · Pehlwani · Musti yuddha · Mukna · Inbuan wrestling Kalarippayattu: Silambam · Marma ati · Kuttu Varisai Gatka Thang-Ta |
| Notable Practitioners |
| Phillip Zarrilli · Jasmine Simhalan · Gobar Guha · Gulam · Guru Hargobind · John Will |
Varma adi or Marma adi ("hitting vital spots") is a part of the art of healing and harming Varma Kalai (Tamil: வர்மக்கலை) Marma Vidhya, It is a component of adi murai "law of hitting" which is a martial art that teaches methods to attack pressure points of the human body. This system of marmam is part of Siddha Vaidhyam, attributed to the Tamil sage Agastya and his disciples.[1]
It is practiced in almost all parts of Tamil Nadu and in the Travancore region of Kerala. It is supposedly derived from traditional Siddha medicine.[2]
The Kerala Kalarippayat Association formed in 1958 started claiming kalaripiyattu was an umbrella term for all Indian martial arts and gave "Adi Murai" and its component Marma adi as well as silambam and other tamil martial arts the title of "southern style" of Kalarippayattu although its techniques origins and application are recognized as distinct from those of Kalarippayattu. Adi Murai emphasise empty hand techniques.[3] Southern kalaripayat is practiced in most cities of Tamil Nadu,[3][4][5] of erstwhile Travancore areas.
The 108 marmam points of Varma adi allegedly have parallels in certain schools of Chinese martial arts since kung fu and other martial arts in china were derived from varmakali taught by the third Pallava prince Bodhidharma.[6][7]
Varma adi recognizes 108 marmas, 12 Padu marmas (death marmas) and 96 Thodu marmas (touch marmas). There are also counter marmas to heal trauma to the marmas.[8]
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