Adimurai expert trains police personnel in ancient fighting style

The film’s central plot revolves around adimuari and even propagates it as the base of all other forms of martial arts. Though many are just learning about this Tamil martial art, city-based adimurai expert Mugilan has been teaching it to police personnel and the public for the past many years.

“Adimurai is considered as one of the oldest and most important martial arts to have been practised in ancient Tamilakam. Some styles were traditionally practised exclusively by certain communities and were opened to the public very recently. In the Tamil language, adi means to hit or strike and murai means method or procedure. Adimurai was originated from southern parts of Tamil Nadu like Tirunelveli and Kanniyakumari. The practitioners of adimurai defeat the opponents by striking them either using their legs or hands,”says Mugilan.

Currently, he is training a few police officers at Kilpauk Police Quarters and also for the public at Alphonsa Ground in Mandaveli. “I have just completed training 13 women police officers. After watching their parents learn this martial art, children of these police officers approached me asking if I could train them. I have started training a few children as well at the Kilpauk Police Quarters. It’s a great self-defense method and I wanted everyone to learn adimurai,” he adds.

Adimurai has three components — the first one is adithadi (adi - attack), thadu (block), pidi (grapple]), the second is Ayutha Murai or weapon-based combat and third is Varma Adi or vital point attacks. “Adimurai was initially introduced by the Siddhars as a lethal combat science with the purpose of defending and protecting themselves from the thieves and enemies. It is closely related to another martial art Silambam which is also known as Silambattam. In adimurai, the fight is either done with bare hands or with a blunt weapon such as a stick or staff. The strikes are targeted at the nerves, veins, tendons, soft tissues or bone joints.,”he explains.