The word Kalari (pronounced "ke-le-ri") means "threshing floor" or "battlefield" in Malayalam. Training for Kalaripayattu, a martial art of Kerala is traditionally done inside the Kalari. Also, the past village schools (underscoring mine) of Kerala, run by the traditional astrologer families were known by the name Kalari or Ezhuthu Kalari.
Every Kalari has a Puttara (meaning "platform where flowers are kept" in Malayalam). The Puttara is a seven-tiered platform placed in the south-west corner and houses the guardian deities of the Kalari. The seven (7) tiers symbolise the seven (7) abilities that each person must possess: Vignesva (strength), Channiga (patience), Vishnu (power to command), Vadugashcha (the posture), Tadaguru (training), Kali (the expression) (underscoring mine), and Vakasta - purushu (sound). Other deities, most of them incarnations of the Bhagavathi or Shiva, are installed in the corners. Flowers, incense and water are offered to the deities every day. Before starting the day's practice, it is the norm for practitioners to pray to the deities. Not only is the Kalari a temple of learning, but it is also a temple of religious worship with a cult and ritual of its own.
There is also a Guruthara inside all Kalaris. Guruthara means "the place where a lamp is kept burning in reverence to all the Gurus (masters) of the 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 Malayalam.
The entrance to the Kalari is in the east, to let in the morning sunlight, and leads into the forty-two foot leg running East-West while the twenty-one 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, just like the Puttara which is kept in the South-West corner of the Kalari itself. The floor of the Kalari is leveled using mud... (source: Wikipedia)
In summary:
"Kele-ri" refers to the training pit where Kalaripayattu training is conducted.
"Kali" or expression is one of the seven (7) abilities that a Kalaripayattu practitioner must possess.
The "Kele-ri" is both a place for martial arts learning and religious worship.
The masters that teach in the Kalari are called "Gurus".
The "Kele-ri" is both a place for martial arts learning and religious worship.
The masters that teach in the Kalari are called "Gurus".
Is it a coincidence that in Bahasa Melayu (the core language of present-day Bahasa Malaysia and Bahasa Indonesia), "Kali" refers to a shallow ditch, such as that used for drainage?
Is it a coincidence that in the Hiligaynon Language (a Visayan Language), "Kali" means "to dig"?
Is it a coincidence that in Bahasa Melayu and most Philippine languages, a teacher is also referred to as "Guro"?
Is it a coincidence that in Bahasa Melayu and most Philippine languages, a teacher is also referred to as "Guro"?
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