be officially recognized by the Kerala State Sports Council. Although it is
in the same association as kalarippayattu, varma ati techniques, rules, com-
petition items, places of training, and so on were recognized as distinct and
separate from those of kalarippayattu.
The practice of varma ati involves no preliminary physical training, as
does kalarippayattu. Rather, students are immediately initiated into vigor-
ous sets of methods of attack and defense, which can be used directly for
self-defense or with a variety of weapons. The basic steps and body move-
ments learned for self-defense are the basis for manipulation of all weapons648 Varma Ati
As one practitioner
explained, knowledge
of the vital spots is
revealed “like a
meditation,” since
only a practicing
Siddha yogi can
intuitively unlock
the secrets of a text
and apply them in
locating, attacking,
and/or healing the
vital spots. Here,
a yogi assumes an
asana(posture)
designed to create
power for
supernormal abilities
such as those used in
varma ati. (Archivo
Iconografico, S.A./
Corbis)