Silambam - another piece in the FMA puzzle?

 

Silambam is a weapon-based Indian martial art from Tamil Nadu, but also traditionally practised by the Tamil community of Sri Lanka and Malaysia.  It is closely related to Keralan kalaripayat and Sri Lankan angampora.

The term silambam derives from the Tamil word silam meaning "hill" and the Kannada word bambu from which the English "bamboo" originates. The term silambambu referred to a particular type of bamboo from the Kurinji hills in present-day Kerala. Thus silambam was named after its primary weapon, the bamboo staff...

Silambam may either be practiced for the purpose of combat (por silambam) or purely for demonstration (alangara silambam)...

References in the Silappadikkaram and other works of Sangam literature show that silambam has been practiced as far back as the 2nd century BC.  The bamboo staff - along with swords, pearls and armor - was in great demand with foreign traders, particularly those from Southeast Asia where silambam greatly influenced many fighting systems.  The Indian community of the Malay Peninsula is known to have practiced silambam as far back as the period of Melaka's founding in the 1400s, and likely much earlier...

Listed below are some of the weapons used in silambam:

• Silambam: staff, preferably made from bamboo, but sometimes also from teak or Indian rose chestnut wood. The staff is immersed in water and strengthened by beating it on the surface of still or running water. It is often tipped with metal rings to prevent the ends from being damaged. 
• Maru: a thrusting weapon made from deer horns
• Aruval: sickle, often paired 
• Savuku: whip
• Katti: knife
• Muchan/Sedikuchi: cudgel or short stick, often wielded as a pair (underscoring mine)

Indian martial arts suffered a decline after the British colonists banned silambam along with various other systems.  They also introduced modern western military training which favoured firearms over traditional weaponry.  During this time, silambam became more common in Southeast Asia than its native India where it was banned by the British rulers.   The ban was lifted after India achieved independence.  Today, silambam is the most famous and widely practiced Indian martial art in Malaysia where demonstrations are held for cultural shows....

(source: Wikipedia)