Thread: Indian roots?

Looking at clips of Kalaripayutu with its disconnected arm movements and I'm struck by how much it sucks. Especially when it was supposed to be the root of Shoalin. Then I look at movement in silat which look very similar to Indian training methods, which look very simlilar ritualistically, with the minor difference that they would actually work. I look at Ankor Watt and all the hindu influences there, the prayer rituals in Muay Thai and the fact that they use elephants.

I think that SE Asian arts must have had heavy influence from both Chinese and Indian Arts, perhaps more so Indian arts.

How about an inside perspective? Am I way off base?

Originally Posted by sikal

I've never seen/heard any definitive evidence and, the MA community being what it is, it's probably a point of controversy but since the Majapahit Empire - a Hindu empire with Indian rulers - ruled much of the SE Asian region for a couple hundred years it seems likely that there would have been some influence.

Mike

I agree that the influence of the culture of the Majapahit Empire was probably the major factor in the development of martial arts all around Southeast Asia. I'm still waiting for a major research project on the commonality between styles in that part of the world -- not some quick, speculative magazine article but rather a major scholarly work on the subject.