Ancient but deadly: the return of shastar vidiya
Banned by the Raj, the world's original martial art is being revived by British Asians. Jerome Taylor reports
In a fluorescent-lit sports gymnasium at a sprawling sixth-form college in Hounslow, west London, three turbaned Sikh warriors are frantically battling each other with razor-sharp swords. Draped in flowing blue robes and sporting chest-length beards, the three men cavort, twist and counter-attack each other in a blur of clashing blades and skilled confusion.
Watched by scores of eagle-eyed students, the two younger combatants use elegant curved swords and small circular shields to attack a taller and older man who is armed with a long double-edged blade and a simple dagger. Each time his opponents bring their weapons down, the lone warrior nimbly dodges the blow by sidestepping away or deflecting it back on to one of his opponents.
After a brief pause the tall man walks forward, runs a hand through his thick beard and announces with a slight hint of a Black Country accent: "The next technique I'll teach you is one that can break both a man's arms in just three moves. In real life of course, once you've broken the first arm your opponent is not getting back up. But when you're practising it's best to learn how to break both."
The martial art that the men are practising is shastar vidiya – a now little-known fighting technique from north India that virtually died out when the British Raj banned it after the final, bloody defeat of the Sikh empire in the mid-19th century.
While Chinese and Japanese fighting forms such as kung fu and ju-jitsu have become national institutions, shastar vidiya has languished alongside many of India's fighting techniques as a forgotten art form.
But one man is determined to bring it back from the brink of extinction. Nidar Singh Nihang is a 41-year-old "gurdev" (master) who has spent 20 years studying the secrets of shastar vidiya in order to pass it on to younger generations. It is a journey that has taken him from being a food packer in a Wolverhampton factory to one of the world's top authorities on ancient Indian fighting styles. Now he is looking for young apprentices willing to devote their life to learning the secrets of an art that he believes risks dying out altogether.
"Most people who practise Indian martial arts nowadays are simply learning the toned down exhibition styles that were allowed by the British," he says. "Unless we start teaching the original fighting styles they will be extinct within 50 years. I want to find two or three sensible, intelligent and tolerant young apprentices who can pass on what I've learned to future generations."
That a British citizen is trying to resurrect shastar vidiya by teaching it to young British Asians is more than a little ironic given the history.
Although shastar vidiya was widely practised across the subcontinent long before the emergence of Sikhism in the mid-16th century, it was the Sikh tribes of the Punjab that came to be the true masters of this particular fighting style.
Surrounded by hostile Hindu and Muslim empires who were opposed to the emergence of a new religion in their midst, the Sikhs quickly turned themselves into an efficient and fearsome warrior race. The most formidable group among them were the Akali Nihangs, a blue-turbaned sect of fighters who became the crack troops and cultural guardians of the Sikh faith. As Britain's modernised colonial armies expanded across the Indian subcontinent, some of the stiffest opposition they faced came from the Sikhs who fought two bloody but ultimately disastrous wars in the 1840s that led to the fall of the Sikh empire and allowed Britain to expand its Indian territories as far as the Khyber Pass.
Astonished by the ferocity and bravery of the Akali Nihangs, the Punjab's new colonial administrators swiftly banned the group and forbade Sikhs from wearing the blue turbans that defined the Akalis.
Sikh warriors were quickly given rifles and drafted into Britain's armies. The practice of shastar vidiya went underground and was nearly forgotten. In its place, the British allowed and encouraged "gatka", a ceremonial and toned-down version of shastar vidiya which is widely displayed during Sikh festivals today. Now Singh Nihang hopes he can make shastar vidiya as widely practised as gatka.
In one corner of the gymnasium where Singh Nihang is teaching his class an array of weaponry has been ceremonially laid out on the floor. Students begin learning how to fight with relatively harmless wooden sticks but those who show a particular finesse and dedication are allowed to practice with the kind of swords that once made the Sikh armies so powerful.
"This is one of my favourite weapons," says Singh Nihang as he picks up an undulating, serrated sword that looks uncannily like a snake. "It's very difficult to learn how to use, but it's also very difficult to fight against. The serrated edge confuses your opponent and allows you to sever muscle tendons in battle. It's a very nasty weapon.
"The key skill shastar vidiya teaches is deception. It's the blows your enemy never sees coming that do the real damage." For followers of shastar vidiya, the martial art is more than just a fighting style. Acolytes are expected to live up to strict religious principles and honour martial codes. The roots of shastar vidiya are not known but there is evidence to suggest that India's martial arts predate those from China and Japan.
Indian monks were the first to export Buddha's new teachings across the Himalayas and according to Chinese legend it was an Indian monk called Bodhidharma who first introduced martial arts to the famous Shaolin Temple in AD 600. Bodhidharma himself is thought to have come from south India where another indigenous fighting style known as Kalaripayattu has also undergone a recent renaissance.
One of Singh Nihang's top students is Iqbal Singh, a 39-year-old businessman from Slough who had spent many years looking for a master who might be able to reconnect him with his culture's fighting past.
"When I was younger I used to head down to the British Library where there are loads of manuscripts and books from the Sikh empire," he recalls. "I kept dreaming about travelling back to the Punjab to find a master and I always imagined he'd be some grizzled old man living in a hut somewhere. Instead, the person who seemed to know the most about these fighting styles was a factory worker from Wolverhampton."
In fact, it was thanks to the British Raj's obsessive bureaucracy that people like Singh Nihang have been able to reacquaint themselves with their ancestors' past. The physical technique of fighting was taught to him in the Punjab by a septuagenarian gurdev when he was a teenager but the vast records in the British Library and the V&A Museum enabled him to compile a history of the Akali Nihang warriors in a book called In The Master's Presence.
"That's something that has always amused me," laughs Singh Nihang. "It was British colonialism that nearly destroyed shastar vidiya, but it is also colonialism's obsession with book keeping that may save it."
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Comments
Grow up!
The martial art that the men are practising is shastar vidiya ? a now little-known fighting technique from north India that virtually died out when the British Raj banned it after the final, bloody defeat of the Sikh empire in the mid-19th century. Shish also have the movies like Sing is King that has topped the chart. All musical. I am amazed at the Bhangras (the Punjabi dances) that was the tradition now changed with the martial arts.
I thank you
Firozali A. Mulla
- like all the kung fu numpties who think shaolin comes with rice !
Your fawning admiration leaves me speechless - "elegant curved blade " - good grief !
If this was a group of white youths - it would be condemned as dangerous movement.
no talk of sef defence - but of feared warrior races -
Great ! What a leap forward for mankind
It's obviously a heritage thing, about preserving an almost lost tradition of swordsmanship. For anyone to liken a martial arts club to a 'dangerous movement' is frankly ridiculous and borders on scaremongering in my view. But in the spirit of tolerance mentioned within the article by the art's teacher, I suppose you're entitled to it.
I for one am fascinated to see another classical form of knowledge, from the land that brought us buddhism, yoga and ayurveda medicine amongst other things.
oh quote: Grow up!
Mackname it's idiots like you that need to grow up, how is performing martial arts not grown up?
Nidar Singh, clearly articulate, intelligent, and well educated in his art, appears to be promoting these attributes as much as the techniques themselves.
I wish him every success in his endeavour to preserve this intriguing piece of history.
It however came as news to me that the Sikhs were "Surrounded by hostile Hindu and Muslim empires who were opposed to the emergence of a new religion in their midst". I thought there was only one empire there at the time and that was the Muslim Mughal empire. And it was utterly hostile to the Sikhs. I had also read all along that the Sikh Khalsa warriors were raised from the eldest sons of Hindu families, by the last Guru Govind Singhji, to protect the Panth and the Hindus from Muslim atrocities..Did I get my history wrong?
The following are battles fought by the tenth master, Guru Gobind Singh
The Battle of Bhangani ( 1689): Won against Raja Bhim Chand of Bilaspur.
The Battle of Nadaun (1690) : Won against Mughals, in response to a request from Raja Bhim Chand.
The Battle of Anandpur Sahib (1700): Against combined forces of the Mughals and the Hill Rajas. After a prolonged Siege, the Guru left Anandgarh Fort.
The Battle of Chamkaur (1703): Forty Sikhs with the Guru fought valiantly against thousands of the enemies, and became martyrs. The two elder sons of the Guru also died fighting in this battle.
The Battle of Muktsar (1703): Forty Sikhs, who had abandoned Anandpur Sahib, returned to the Guru and sacrificed their lives while fighting in his defence against the Mugbal Army. 11iey became martyrs and the Guru blessed them as muktas
Ironic too is the fact that, Sikhs in the Royal Air Force depending on how devout the individual, (I worked alongside many during my service), could wear a blue turban, which although a different shade (RAF blue) would probably make the former colonial administrators (Raj) turn in their graves.
Well done to you Nidar Singh Nihang, keep it up while you can, your people succumbed, not to the citizens of this country, but to the powerful of this country once before, don`t allow it to happen again (as most of this country seem to be allowing). Be proud, and remember, if it were not for history you would not be who you are now.
The final irony is that I am saying this to a Sikh, one of the proudest people in the world. Who despite having been oppressed, gave Stirling service to this island, serving King and Queen and country through wartime and peace (much like the Gurkha`s).
We all should take a leaf out of this man`s book and remember our past. Sometimes proud, sometimes humble, sometimes in shame, but we should remember.
Now Britain has one of India's best kept secret thanks to Nidar Singh Nihang.
Civilization destroys itself by tolerating religion--all and any. Religion is the greatest curse that has infected this planet. Not until it is totally eradicated will there be a slim chance for peace.
'A Guru's Sikh should RESPECT and worship the sword. The Master himself worshipped it.' ('Rehitnameh', Piara Singh Padam, Pa. 87).
RESPECT is the key word, Guru Gobind SIngh, wrote many passages on war and weaponry, inparticular one's self control, those passages you seem to have avoided!!
Bloodthirsty??????? You obviously know little about Sikh History, there's a distinct difference between fighting for survival, just causes and total unadultered violence...............................
Shastar Vidhya is not new in the punjab, many Nihang Jatha's have been practicing it for many a time. If you can show me, where in history that Shastar Vidhya has been used as a bloodletting practice by assasins????? Sikhs have had several acts of genocide against them, including those in recent history, and as far as I know, these assasins where either asleep or in training!!!
However, Chinese legend does not say that Bodhidharma brought fighting styles to the Shaolin temple, but that he taught the monks breathing and meditation techniques. Do you really think India's martial arts predate those of any other culture? Do you have some hitherto unknown archaeological evidence to show that Shastar Vidiya was the world's original martial art? How were other cultures training their armies before the Indians came along?
What do you think the ancient Chinese used, or the Hittites for that matter, during warfare? Harsh language?
What once began as a religion of pacifism, respect and compromise between Hindus and Muslims is now today seen as a religion of knives, demonstrations outside theaters (Behzti) and political extremism ie nothing in common with its founder. Its no surprise that religious terrorism is not just confined to one religion subject to misinterpretation but any number can fall prey to extremist ideologies.
What once began as a religion of pacifism, respect and compromise between Hindus and Muslims is now today seen as a religion of knives, demonstrations outside theaters (Behzti) and political extremism ie nothing in common with its founder. Its no surprise that religious terrorism is not just confined to one religion subject to misinterpretation but any number can fall prey to extremist ideologies.
But the religion based on knife isn't true, the fact is that Sikhs very rarely use there 'ceremonial' dagger other then for ceremonies, it's blunt, how many attacks have you read about Sikhs using there knifes or there ancient martial arts???
All institutions whether they be religious or non religious can be maligned, we've seen unjustified wars that have nothing to do with religion, mankind has a habit of self destructing itself, we are only just human!!!
For starters, there are two short, very bad guys on the continent; they are called Sarko and Berlu; they are EU freaks, megalomaniacs and borderline fascists, and they have improbable, beautiful wives. Moreover they represent countries that did some funny twists and turns during World War 2.
With the help of the formerly colonized martial Sikhs, I happen to think that the UK is about ready to kick some major league continental arse on the road to establishing what is rightfully theirs.
The Order of the Khalsa was created to fight injustice when all other peaceful means had been exhausted. Sikhs are duty bound to exhaust all other peaceful means before utilising violence and then it is only sanctioned IN SELF DEFENCE.
The Khalsa bravely fought oppression and succeeded after much martyrdom. The Khalsa should now focus fighting modern day INJUSTICES. It is injustice that some people in the world do not have basic food, medical aid, opportunity to learn....the list go on. And the Khalsa has a role to play with peaceful organisations such as Amnesty and Red Cross.
If harnessed the Khalsa principles can serve mankind and not be an insular fighting tribe that Arthur alludes to.
The comments after the article seem to have got lost amongst a dispute as to whether Sikhism historically at heart is violent or not. All humans have the capacity for violence embedded in their stone age brains. This why Buddhism teaches that all men are wild and need to be tamed.
Any Guru in the Vedic tradition would have been aware of the formal systems of Indian philosophy, (in which Buddha was originally trained, for example), and would be familiar with the Bhagavad Gita. Here the story cunning sets up the leaders of rival families and their warriors and supporters for an inevitable battle such that, do nothing and friends family and foes will die, or join battle in which family friends and foe will also die, but in addition by choice violate the principle of non violence. Krishna intervenes and teaches and that all are embedded in life as it is and that the only honorable course is to perform action, do one's duty as prince or pauper, but 'established in being'. This means being in an enlightened state, awake in the moment, as a full participant in life as it unfolds, which includes all human actions. This is as difficult a concept for retrospective Christian historians, as peaceful modern Sikhs, who equate saintliness with non-violence in all circumstances, and difficult for religious followers of faiths that also teach compassion and non violence who have forgotten about meditation and the revelation of the subtle. Fortunately for aggressive Christian societies the non saintly may engage in righteous conflict and just wars, so the schizophrenia of espousing peace and practicing war may be carried on with a clear conscience! Likewise religions of peace always allow the get out of self defense in dire emergencies. Over the centuries all the branches of Vedic culture have diverged and the teachings of the key Sikh Gurus have emphasized some aspects and relapsed others such that modern 'Hinduism' and Sikhism and Buddhism all seem now to be separate; but the roots to the Sanskritic texts are there if you look. It is interesting that non intellectual/religious disciplines like dance and music and martial arts have retained vestiges of links to common roots by other means.
As to which system of martial arts was the earliest, that will depend on which society flowered first. Caveman A hitting Caveman B over the head is not a 'martial art' as discussed above, just brutish street fighting; a martial art is an integrated and subtle system that also contains spiritual development. Some scholars argue from celestial observations in ancient texts that the Vedic civilizations origins date from 60,000 years ago, so the claim that they were first may be true, but in any event martial arts have always flowered where paradoxically meditation flourished. This is because the subtlety of movement and mind required to excel at any physical activity, from sex to sword fighting, derives from uncovering subtle levels of consciousness.
But is there a common scripture that is considered holy by all sections of Hindus ? Yes, the vedas(1) are the common holy scripture for the Hindus. In fact they gave Hinduism the name vaidika dharma, one of its old names. What are vedas ? vedas, refer to the knowledge. That is the knowledge heard by the sages in their spiritual domain and passed across as it is as mantras. mantras(2) are the words of super-power, that produce grand effects when chanted. As compared stotras are the scriptures that came out of the thoughts of human beings that hail God. However it cannot be interpreted that the human made stotras are not glorious. In fact the sages associated with the vedas are also attributed to have composed many stotras.
vedas have four parts - samhita, brAhmaNa, Aranyaka & upanishat. The samhitas are the core part of vedas. They are full of mantras. brAhmaNas help in the application /interpretation of the vedic samhitas. Aranyakas and upanishats are the philosophical part. upanishats cover a spectrum of analysis of the God and relation to It for the soul. They are the benchmarks (prasthAna) in Hindu philosophy. So the philosophers when establishing their concepts proclaim that their theory stands good with the benchmark upanishats. The essence of the upanishats is brought out in brahmasUtra composed by vedavyAsa, the one who organized the vedas. The four categories of vedas are Rig, yajus, sAma, atharva. vedas are the voice of the Divine preserved as it was heard by the sages and hence they are called shRuti. There is another set of scripture are the things remembered from the voice of God. They are called smRuti.
Ramayanam and Mahabharatham are not holy books. They are, of course, very good literature and can speak a lot about hinduism and indian culture. In fact there are no specific holy books for hinduism, since hinduism is not a religion.
Not Just One , But Several
1. Mahabharat (Mahabharatha)
2.Ramayana (Ramayanam)
3.Githa (Bhagavad Githa)
I thank you
Firozali A.Mulla
peace
omar