Gatka
Encyclopedia
Gatka is a weapon-based Indian martial art created by the Sikh
s of the Punjab
region. The word gatka refers to the wooden stick used in sparring matches. The term might have originated as a diminutive of the Sanskrit
word gadha or mace.
A more popular theory is that it derives from the Punjabi words gat and ka. Gat means grace, liberation, and respect in one's own power, while ka means someone who belongs or is part of a group. Gatka would therefore translate as "one whose freedom belongs to grace".
Gatka can be practiced either as a sport (khel) or ritual (rasmi). The modern sport originated in the later 19th century, out of sword practice in the British Indian Army
during the 1880s. It is played by two opponents who spar with wooden staves intended to simulate swords. The sticks may be paired with a shield. The older techniques and various other weapons are taught in the ritual aspect of the art. These are demonstrated in preset routines
or performed as a sword dance during Sikh festivals. Though primarily an armed fighting style, gatka also incorporates wrestling as part of its empty-handed training component.
epic. First conquered by the Mauryans in the 3rd century BC, the Mughal
s also fought their way through the region on their way from the Khyber Pass
to Delhi
. As such, Sikhs developed as a warrior people with a heavily martial culture, ultimately rooted in the fighting methods employed by the militaristic Rajput
s and the kshatriya caste in general. The fighting systems of this period are more properly called shastar vidiyā (ਸ਼ਸਤਰ ਵਿਦਿਆ), the Panjabi
spelling for śastravidyā
or "knowledge of the sword" in Sanskrit. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, was born into a kshatriya
family, as were many of his first disciples. His successor, Guru Angad Dev, encouraged followers to train the body physically, mentally and spiritually.
Guru Hargobind propagated the theory of the warrior saint and emphasized the need for his followers to practice fighting for self-defence. When fifty-two Rajput princes were captured by the Muslim conquerors, he assembled an army to free them. This led to further exchanges in the martial cultures of the Sikhs and Rajputs. Both the Rajputs and Punjabis favoured the sword as their main weapon.
Although Sikhism
was found to be popular among both Hindus and Muslims, its followers constantly had to fight to protect their communities and religion from the Mughal
rulers. During the 17th century Emperor Aurangazeb started converting Kashmiri Brahmins to Islam in the hope that if they could be converted, the other Hindus will follow suit. The Kashmiri pandita decided to approach Guru Teg Bahadur who subsequently laid down his life in 1675 for this purpose. His son and successor was Guru Gobind Singh
, the 10th guru of Sikhism and a master of shastar vidiya. In 1699 he founded the Khalsa
brotherhood by baptising five disciples with a sword dipped in the nectar of immortality (amrita). This collective society galvanized the martial energies of the Sikh
community and would later go on to form the Khalsa Army
of the Sikh Empire during the first half of the 19th century.
The Khalsa's aims were to fight oppression, assist the poor, worship the one God, abandon superstition, and defend the faith. This is symbolised by the kirpan
or dagger, one of the five Ks which every baptised Sikh is required to carry. In regards to training the brotherhood, Guru Gobind Singh pledged that he would "teach the sparrow to fight the hawk". The Akali
Nihang
, a stricter order of Sikh warriors, exemplified his principles of combining spirituality with combat training.
During the later 17th century, the Sikhs were responsible for defending India's north from foreign conquerors. Having repelled a number of Afghan invasions, they eventually went on to fill the power void left after the collapse of the Mughals.
Following the Second Anglo-Sikh War
of 1848 to 1849 and the establishment of the British Raj
, the Sikh martial traditions and practitioners suffered greatly. Ever wary of the Punjabis, the British ordered effective disarmament of the entire Sikh community; even tools and farming equipment were banned. The Akali
Nihang
, considered the keepers of all Sikh traditions, were regarded as disloyal to the colonists. More than 1,500 nihang were killed by the British for plotting rebellion. According to folklore, some fled and spent the rest of their lives in the northern mountains.
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857
, the Sikh
s assisted the British in crushing the mutiny. As a consequence of this assistance, restrictions on fighting practices were relaxed, but the Punjabi martial arts which re-emerged after 1857 had changed significantly. The new style applied the sword-fighting techniques to the wooden training-stick. It was referred to as gatka, after its primary weapon. Gatka was used mainly by the British Indian Army
in the 1860s as practice for hand-to-hand combat. As Sikh
colleges opened during the 1880s, European rules of fencing
were applied to create what is now called khel or sport gatka. The other techniques and weapons of traditional shaster vidiya were taught to experienced students as rasmi or ritual.
The European colonists brought Sikhs from India to other British colonies to work as soldiers and security guards. Gatka is still practiced by the Sikh communities of former British colonies and neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong
and Thailand
.
Gatka is generally at public display during religious processions but Punjab Gatka Association (PGA) (Regd.) and Gatka Federation of India (GFI) (Regd.) are managing, standardizing, promoting, popularizing and reviving it as a game in Punjab as well as in India similar to other games.
The Gatka Federation of India, in collaboration with Punjab Gatka Association, for the first time, has formulated and standardized the in-depth Rules and Regulations Book in September 2009 for playing of Gatka game with pictorial guidelines and providing training to the budding Gatkebaaz through workshops, seminars and camps under the new Gatka rules. It's a humble effort to revive a forgotten and dying art having a historical significance.
Punjab Olympic Association (POA) has recognised the Punjab Gatka Association. The Education Department of Punjab has also incorporated the Gatka game into the Punjab schools and Universities sports calendars on the persistent appeals of PGA. Representations have also been sent to Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and School Games Federation of India (SGFI) to incorporate Gatka game in their sports calendars.
The International Gatka Federation (IGF) was founded in 1982 and formalized in 1987. It is based in Berlin
and has chapters in Hamburg
and Bordeaux
.
In the United Kingdom
, Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Akhara was established in East London in 1992, contributing to the establishment of the International Gatka Organisation (IGO).
The system devised by Captain William Ewart Fairbairn and Captain Eric Anthony Sykes borrowed methodologies from gatka, jujutsu
, Chinese martial arts
and "gutter fighting". This method was used to train soldiers in close-combat techniques at the Commando Basic Training Centre in Achnacarry
, Scotland
.
Gatka competitions, along with various other sports, are held annually during a festival in the rural Indian city of Kila Raipur.
Gatka demonstrations are sometimes held during Vaisakhi
in Malaysia.
There was a gatka tournament held in Oldbury
in March 2006.
Gatka was displayed during the celebrations of Hola Mohalla
in Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
in Hounslow. It was also performed on the 2005, July 4 Independence Day parade on Constitution Avenue
in Washington DC, United States
.
Gatka is performed as a stick-fighting dance by the Sikh community of Trinidad
.
The correct use of melee weapons is central to gatka with techniques depending on the nature of the weapon. The sword is gatka's main weapon, often paired with a shield or another sword. The shield itself can be used offensively. The following lists a few examples of the weapons used in gatka.
, gatka groups may train in a religious or semi-religious situation, such as in a gurdwara
(Sikh temple). Akharas, usually associated with pehlwani
, have also been founded with the exclusive purpose of teaching gatka. Gatka emphasizes having something in both hands, e.g. two sticks, a stick and a sword, a sword and a shield or any other combination. Training with "both hands full" is believed to be an excellent exercise for coordinating the two halves of the body, a concept also found in Filipino kali
. The individual's preference for weapons, combination of weapons, and movement patterns leads to the development of individual fighting methods.
The foundation of the art is a movement methodology for the use of the feet, body, arms and weapons in unison. Gatka favors rhythmic movement, without hesitation, doubt or anxiety. The attacking and defense methods are based upon the positions of the hands, feet and weapon(s) during the dexterity regimen.
Chanting holy verses may accompany these exercises. The three-beat-per-cycle played by a drummer adds to the coordination during practice.
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s of the Punjab
Punjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
region. The word gatka refers to the wooden stick used in sparring matches. The term might have originated as a diminutive of the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word gadha or mace.
A more popular theory is that it derives from the Punjabi words gat and ka. Gat means grace, liberation, and respect in one's own power, while ka means someone who belongs or is part of a group. Gatka would therefore translate as "one whose freedom belongs to grace".
Gatka can be practiced either as a sport (khel) or ritual (rasmi). The modern sport originated in the later 19th century, out of sword practice in the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
during the 1880s. It is played by two opponents who spar with wooden staves intended to simulate swords. The sticks may be paired with a shield. The older techniques and various other weapons are taught in the ritual aspect of the art. These are demonstrated in preset routines
Kata
is a Japanese word describing detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general....
or performed as a sword dance during Sikh festivals. Though primarily an armed fighting style, gatka also incorporates wrestling as part of its empty-handed training component.
Origins
The Punjab has a long history of war and armed conflict, some of which was set down in the MahabharataMahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
epic. First conquered by the Mauryans in the 3rd century BC, the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
s also fought their way through the region on their way from the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
to Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
. As such, Sikhs developed as a warrior people with a heavily martial culture, ultimately rooted in the fighting methods employed by the militaristic Rajput
Rajput
A Rajput is a member of one of the patrilineal clans of western, central, northern India and in some parts of Pakistan. Rajputs are descendants of one of the major ruling warrior classes in the Indian subcontinent, particularly North India...
s and the kshatriya caste in general. The fighting systems of this period are more properly called shastar vidiyā (ਸ਼ਸਤਰ ਵਿਦਿਆ), the Panjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
spelling for śastravidyā
Indian martial arts
The Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of fighting styles. In Sanskrit they may be collectively referred to as ' or '. The former is a compound of the words and , meaning "knowledge of the sword" or "knowledge of weaponry"...
or "knowledge of the sword" in Sanskrit. Guru Nanak, the founder of the Sikh religion, was born into a kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
family, as were many of his first disciples. His successor, Guru Angad Dev, encouraged followers to train the body physically, mentally and spiritually.
Guru Hargobind propagated the theory of the warrior saint and emphasized the need for his followers to practice fighting for self-defence. When fifty-two Rajput princes were captured by the Muslim conquerors, he assembled an army to free them. This led to further exchanges in the martial cultures of the Sikhs and Rajputs. Both the Rajputs and Punjabis favoured the sword as their main weapon.
Although Sikhism
Sikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
was found to be popular among both Hindus and Muslims, its followers constantly had to fight to protect their communities and religion from the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
rulers. During the 17th century Emperor Aurangazeb started converting Kashmiri Brahmins to Islam in the hope that if they could be converted, the other Hindus will follow suit. The Kashmiri pandita decided to approach Guru Teg Bahadur who subsequently laid down his life in 1675 for this purpose. His son and successor was Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh
Guru Gobind Singh is the tenth and last Sikh guru in a sacred lineage of ten Sikh gurus. Born in Patna, Bihar in India, he was also a warrior, poet and philosopher. He succeeded his father Guru Tegh Bahadur as the leader of Sikhs at a young age of nine...
, the 10th guru of Sikhism and a master of shastar vidiya. In 1699 he founded the Khalsa
Khalsa
+YouWebImagesVideosMapsNewsMailMoreTranslateFrom: ArabicTo: EnglishEnglishHindiEnglishAllow phonetic typingHindiEnglishArabicAssumptionGoogle Translate for Business:Translator ToolkitWebsite TranslatorGlobal Market Finder...
brotherhood by baptising five disciples with a sword dipped in the nectar of immortality (amrita). This collective society galvanized the martial energies of the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
community and would later go on to form the Khalsa Army
Sikh Khalsa Army
Punjab Army was the military force of the Sikh Empire responsible for land defense from 1801-1849.-Background:...
of the Sikh Empire during the first half of the 19th century.
The Khalsa's aims were to fight oppression, assist the poor, worship the one God, abandon superstition, and defend the faith. This is symbolised by the kirpan
Kirpan
The kirpan is a ceremonial sword or dagger carried by orthodox Sikhs. It is a religious commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in CE 1699, all baptised Sikhs must wear a kirpan at all times....
or dagger, one of the five Ks which every baptised Sikh is required to carry. In regards to training the brotherhood, Guru Gobind Singh pledged that he would "teach the sparrow to fight the hawk". The Akali
Akali
In the context of Sikhism, Akali may refer to:*any member of the Khalsa, i.e. the collective body of baptized Sikhs*a term for Nihangs*a politician of the Akali Dal political parties...
Nihang
Nihang
Nihang is an armed Sikh order. Early Sikh military history is dominated by the Akali Nihang military order, particularly for many famous military victories won while often heavily outnumbered. The Akali Nihang have historically been held in great affection and respect by Sikhs due the pivotal role...
, a stricter order of Sikh warriors, exemplified his principles of combining spirituality with combat training.
During the later 17th century, the Sikhs were responsible for defending India's north from foreign conquerors. Having repelled a number of Afghan invasions, they eventually went on to fill the power void left after the collapse of the Mughals.
Colonisation
As British colonial rule spread across India, the Sikhs prepared themselves for war with the Europeans. Punjab's ruling monarch, Ranjit Singh, was an experienced warrior despite his comparatively small build. He personally assisted in training his army in shastar vidiya. The British avoided direct confrontation with Ranjit Singh's forces, and gave up any plans of taking over the region until after the ruler's death. Ranjit's passing was followed by widespread corruption and anarchy within the royal family. Only in the 1840s, after two wars with the British, was the Khalsa army finally defeated.Following the Second Anglo-Sikh War
Second Anglo-Sikh War
The Second Anglo-Sikh War took place in 1848 and 1849, between the Sikh Empire and the British East India Company. It resulted in the subjugation of the Sikh Empire, and the annexation of the Punjab and what subsequently became the North-West Frontier Province by the East India Company.-Background...
of 1848 to 1849 and the establishment of the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
, the Sikh martial traditions and practitioners suffered greatly. Ever wary of the Punjabis, the British ordered effective disarmament of the entire Sikh community; even tools and farming equipment were banned. The Akali
Akali
In the context of Sikhism, Akali may refer to:*any member of the Khalsa, i.e. the collective body of baptized Sikhs*a term for Nihangs*a politician of the Akali Dal political parties...
Nihang
Nihang
Nihang is an armed Sikh order. Early Sikh military history is dominated by the Akali Nihang military order, particularly for many famous military victories won while often heavily outnumbered. The Akali Nihang have historically been held in great affection and respect by Sikhs due the pivotal role...
, considered the keepers of all Sikh traditions, were regarded as disloyal to the colonists. More than 1,500 nihang were killed by the British for plotting rebellion. According to folklore, some fled and spent the rest of their lives in the northern mountains.
During the Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian Rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...
, the Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
s assisted the British in crushing the mutiny. As a consequence of this assistance, restrictions on fighting practices were relaxed, but the Punjabi martial arts which re-emerged after 1857 had changed significantly. The new style applied the sword-fighting techniques to the wooden training-stick. It was referred to as gatka, after its primary weapon. Gatka was used mainly by the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
in the 1860s as practice for hand-to-hand combat. As Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
colleges opened during the 1880s, European rules of fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
were applied to create what is now called khel or sport gatka. The other techniques and weapons of traditional shaster vidiya were taught to experienced students as rasmi or ritual.
The European colonists brought Sikhs from India to other British colonies to work as soldiers and security guards. Gatka is still practiced by the Sikh communities of former British colonies and neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
.
Gatka today
In Northern India, Gatka is sometimes displayed at fairs, celebrations and festivals as well as Indian Independence Day celebrations.Gatka is generally at public display during religious processions but Punjab Gatka Association (PGA) (Regd.) and Gatka Federation of India (GFI) (Regd.) are managing, standardizing, promoting, popularizing and reviving it as a game in Punjab as well as in India similar to other games.
The Gatka Federation of India, in collaboration with Punjab Gatka Association, for the first time, has formulated and standardized the in-depth Rules and Regulations Book in September 2009 for playing of Gatka game with pictorial guidelines and providing training to the budding Gatkebaaz through workshops, seminars and camps under the new Gatka rules. It's a humble effort to revive a forgotten and dying art having a historical significance.
Punjab Olympic Association (POA) has recognised the Punjab Gatka Association. The Education Department of Punjab has also incorporated the Gatka game into the Punjab schools and Universities sports calendars on the persistent appeals of PGA. Representations have also been sent to Association of Indian Universities (AIU) and School Games Federation of India (SGFI) to incorporate Gatka game in their sports calendars.
The International Gatka Federation (IGF) was founded in 1982 and formalized in 1987. It is based in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and has chapters in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
.
In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Baba Fateh Singh Gatka Akhara was established in East London in 1992, contributing to the establishment of the International Gatka Organisation (IGO).
The system devised by Captain William Ewart Fairbairn and Captain Eric Anthony Sykes borrowed methodologies from gatka, jujutsu
Jujutsu
Jujutsu , also known as jujitsu, ju-jitsu, or Japanese jiu-jitsu, is a Japanese martial art and a method of close combat for defeating an armed and armored opponent in which one uses no weapon, or only a short weapon....
, Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
and "gutter fighting". This method was used to train soldiers in close-combat techniques at the Commando Basic Training Centre in Achnacarry
Achnacarry
Achnacarry is a small hamlet, private estate, and a castle in the Lochaber region of Highland, Scotland. It occupies a strategic position on an isthmus between Loch Lochy to the east, and Loch Arkaig to the west....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Gatka competitions, along with various other sports, are held annually during a festival in the rural Indian city of Kila Raipur.
Gatka demonstrations are sometimes held during Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi
Vaisakhi is an ancient harvest festival celebrated across North Indian states, especially Punjab by all Punjabis regardless of religion. In Sikhism the Khalsa was founded on same day as the Vaisakhi festival, so Sikhs celebrate twice as much....
in Malaysia.
There was a gatka tournament held in Oldbury
Oldbury
Oldbury may refer to:*Oldbury, Western Australia, a district south of Perth, Australia*Oldbury, Shropshire, a village near Bridgnorth, England, UK*Oldbury, South Gloucestershire, a village south of Bridgnorth, England, UK...
in March 2006.
Gatka was displayed during the celebrations of Hola Mohalla
Hola Mohalla
Hola Mahalla is a Sikh Olympics event which begins on the first day of the lunar month of Chet in the Nanakshahi calendar. It most often falls in March, and sometimes coincides with the Sikh New Year. The event lasts for a week, and consists of camping out and enjoying various displays of fighting...
in Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha
Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall is a Sikh Gurdwara situated in the London suburb of Southall on Havelock Road and Park Avenue. It is the largest Sikh temple in Europe. Building work at the Havelock Road site commenced in March 2000 and the Gurdwara opened on Sunday 30 March 2003, in order...
in Hounslow. It was also performed on the 2005, July 4 Independence Day parade on Constitution Avenue
Constitution Avenue
In Washington, D.C., Constitution Avenue is a major east-west street running just north of the United States Capitol in the city's Northwest and Northeast quadrants...
in Washington DC, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Gatka is performed as a stick-fighting dance by the Sikh community of Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
.
Weapons
- TalwarTalwarThe talwar is a type of curved sword or sabre from India and modern-day Pakistan...
: curved one-sided sword - KirpanKirpanThe kirpan is a ceremonial sword or dagger carried by orthodox Sikhs. It is a religious commandment given by Guru Gobind Singh at the Baisakhi Amrit Sanchar in CE 1699, all baptised Sikhs must wear a kirpan at all times....
: dagger worn by baptised Sikhs at all times - LathiLathiLathi means stick and also refers to an Indian martial art based on cane-fighting. The word is used in Hindi, Bengali and various other Indian languages. The lathi typically measures 6 to and may be tipped with metal. It commonly used as a crowd control device by the Indian Police and other South...
: stick of bambooBambooBamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
from one to three meters in length, used for training - Flexible weapons, such as whips and chains.
- KukriKukriThe kukri is a curved Nepalese Knife, similar to the machete, used as both a tool and as a weapon...
: bent sword which broadens towards the point - Bow and arrow, either traditional IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n steel recurve bows or true composite bowsComposite bowA composite bow is a bow made from horn, wood, and sinew laminated together. The horn is on the belly, facing the archer, and sinew on the back of a wooden core. Sinew and horn will store more energy than wood for the same length of bow...
made of wood, horn and sinew. Fletched reed arrows with tanged steel points are typically used. - Barcha: spear
- Bothati: lance used from horseback
- Nagni barcha: javelin
- KhandaKhanda (sword)The blade is usually broad and quite heavy and broadens from the hilt to the tip. The blade transforms into tip rather abruptly. The hilt has a small metal spike coming out in the opposite direction typical of the khanda...
: double-edge sword - Bagh nakh: "leopard claw", a spiked weapon worn on the hand
- ChakramChakramThe chakram , sometimes called a war quoit, is a throwing weapon from India. Its shape is of a flat metal hoop with a sharp outer edge from in diameter...
: circular edged weapon that can be thrown or used in-close - Kataar: dagger able to pierce armour, spelled katara in Sanskrit
- Gurj: a flanged or spiked mace made out of steel
Training
With its strong link to the Sikh faithSikhism
Sikhism is a monotheistic religion founded during the 15th century in the Punjab region, by Guru Nanak Dev and continued to progress with ten successive Sikh Gurus . It is the fifth-largest organized religion in the world and one of the fastest-growing...
, gatka groups may train in a religious or semi-religious situation, such as in a gurdwara
Gurdwara
A Gurdwara , meaning the Gateway to the Guru, is the place of worship for Sikhs, the followers of Sikhism. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib ....
(Sikh temple). Akharas, usually associated with pehlwani
Pehlwani
Pehlwani or Pahlavani or Kushti is a Persian style of wrestling popular in Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. It was developed in the Mughal era through a synthesis of Indian malla-yuddha and Persian Varzesh-e Bastani....
, have also been founded with the exclusive purpose of teaching gatka. Gatka emphasizes having something in both hands, e.g. two sticks, a stick and a sword, a sword and a shield or any other combination. Training with "both hands full" is believed to be an excellent exercise for coordinating the two halves of the body, a concept also found in Filipino kali
Eskrima
Eskrima is the umbrella term for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons...
. The individual's preference for weapons, combination of weapons, and movement patterns leads to the development of individual fighting methods.
The foundation of the art is a movement methodology for the use of the feet, body, arms and weapons in unison. Gatka favors rhythmic movement, without hesitation, doubt or anxiety. The attacking and defense methods are based upon the positions of the hands, feet and weapon(s) during the dexterity regimen.
Chanting holy verses may accompany these exercises. The three-beat-per-cycle played by a drummer adds to the coordination during practice.
See also
- Shastar Vidiya
- Indian martial artsIndian martial artsThe Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of fighting styles. In Sanskrit they may be collectively referred to as ' or '. The former is a compound of the words and , meaning "knowledge of the sword" or "knowledge of weaponry"...
- Punjab Gatka Association (PGA) (Regd.)
- AkaliAkaliIn the context of Sikhism, Akali may refer to:*any member of the Khalsa, i.e. the collective body of baptized Sikhs*a term for Nihangs*a politician of the Akali Dal political parties...
- NihangNihangNihang is an armed Sikh order. Early Sikh military history is dominated by the Akali Nihang military order, particularly for many famous military victories won while often heavily outnumbered. The Akali Nihang have historically been held in great affection and respect by Sikhs due the pivotal role...