Indian Martial Arts - शस ...

A weapon-based Indian martial art, Mardani Khel originated in Maharashtra among the Marathas in the early 1600s. The Marathas were homespun warriors whose martial art was distinctive because of the use of the Pata sword and the Vita corded lance. Mardani Khel rose to prominence under the leadership of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who relied heavily on the guerrilla tactics of Maratha units. Today, Mardani Khel exists only as a performing art and as a powerful reminder of the Maratha valiance.

Lathi Khel, or Stick Fighting, is an Indian martial art practised all over the country but is particularly popular in Rajasthan. A lathi is an approximately 6-foot-long bamboo stick that has a metal blunt attached to one end, a weapon commonly used by warriors throughout India. Lathis were used by different groups of people for tax collection, controlling crowds, for sport, and as weapons in war.

A kripan is a religious blade used by Sikhs that generally measures between 3 and 9 inches and is kept in a sheath. It is a weapon that is used commonly in Gatka, a martial art form associated mainly with Sikhs. Kripan is one of the 5 Ks in Sikhism symbolic of God, and it continues to be used in self-defense and combat by many Sikhs even today.