Martial arts are asked in exactly one form — an art is named and you supply the state. The list is short, it never changes, and it is one of the quickest sets of marks available in the culture section. This post gives every Indian martial art exams ask about, region by region, with what distinguishes each one, followed by previous year questions.
Key Points (Quick Revision)
- Kalaripayattu — Kerala; often called the oldest martial art in India
- Silambam — Tamil Nadu, a stick-fighting art
- Gatka — Punjab, associated with the Sikh tradition
- Thang-Ta and Sarit Sarak — Manipur
- Mardani Khel — Maharashtra · Mallakhamb — Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh
1. Martial arts of south India
| Art | State | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Kalaripayattu | Kerala | Practised in a kalari; combines strikes, grappling, weapons and healing. Frequently described as India's oldest martial art |
| Silambam | Tamil Nadu | Stick or staff fighting, from the Tamil word for bamboo staff |
| Varma Kalai | Tamil Nadu and Kerala | Art of striking vital points, linked with traditional healing |
| Adimurai | Tamil Nadu | Unarmed combat art of the southern districts |
| Kuttu Varisai | Tamil Nadu | Empty-hand component of the Tamil combat tradition |
| Malla-yuddha | South India, historically wider | Traditional wrestling form described in ancient texts |
Kalaripayattu is the most asked martial art in the entire topic, and the facts attached to it are Kerala, the kalari as the training arena, and its description as the oldest surviving Indian martial art. Silambam with Tamil Nadu is the second most asked, and the detail worth adding is that it is a staff-based art.
2. Martial arts of north and west India
| Art | State | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Gatka | Punjab | Sword and stick art associated with the Sikh tradition and the Nihangs |
| Mardani Khel | Maharashtra | Armed art associated with the Marathas, using sword and other weapons |
| Mallakhamb | Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh | Gymnastic art performed on a vertical pole or rope |
| Pehlwani or Kushti | North India | Traditional wrestling practised in an akhara |
| Lathi Khela | Punjab, Bengal and elsewhere | Stick fighting |
| Inbuan Wrestling | Mizoram | Wrestling with strict rules against kicking and bending the knee |
| Musti Yuddha | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh | Unarmed art using punches, kicks, knees and elbows |
Gatka with Punjab and Mardani Khel with Maharashtra are the two reliable pairings here. Mallakhamb is worth a separate note: it is shared between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, it has been declared the state sport of Madhya Pradesh, and it is more a system of training on a pole than a combat art — which is exactly the distinction a question may test.
Inbuan wrestling of Mizoram is asked because it is the north-eastern entry that candidates least expect, and its distinguishing rule is that kicking, stepping out of the circle and bending the knee are not allowed.
3. Martial arts of the east and north-east
| Art | State | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Thang-Ta | Manipur | Sword and spear art; the name means sword and spear |
| Sarit Sarak | Manipur | The unarmed component of the same tradition |
| Huyen Langlon | Manipur | The overall system of which Thang-Ta and Sarit Sarak are parts |
| Cheibi Gad-ga | Manipur | Contest using a stick and a shield |
| Paika Akhada | Odisha | Training tradition of the Paika warriors, linked to the 1817 Paika Rebellion |
| Thoda | Himachal Pradesh | Archery-based contest held during Baisakhi |
| Sqay | Jammu and Kashmir | Sword-based art using a curved sword and shield |
| Kathi Samu | Andhra Pradesh | Sword-fighting tradition of the royal courts |
Manipur carries the largest cluster in this table, and the useful way to hold it is as one system: Huyen Langlon is the whole, Thang-Ta is its armed part and Sarit Sarak its unarmed part. A question naming any one of the three has Manipur as the answer.
Paika Akhada of Odisha earns its place twice, because it also connects to the Paika Rebellion of 1817 in modern history. Thoda of Himachal Pradesh is asked as the archery-based one, and Sqay as the Kashmiri sword art.
4. Quick state-to-art table
Since the question usually gives the art and asks the state, this is the reverse cut for revision.
| State | Martial arts |
|---|---|
| Kerala | Kalaripayattu, Varma Kalai |
| Tamil Nadu | Silambam, Adimurai, Kuttu Varisai, Varma Kalai |
| Punjab | Gatka |
| Maharashtra | Mardani Khel, Mallakhamb |
| Madhya Pradesh | Mallakhamb |
| Manipur | Thang-Ta, Sarit Sarak, Huyen Langlon, Cheibi Gad-ga |
| Mizoram | Inbuan Wrestling |
| Odisha | Paika Akhada |
| Himachal Pradesh | Thoda |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Sqay |
| Andhra Pradesh | Kathi Samu |
| Uttar Pradesh | Musti Yuddha |
Two states hold most of the entries — Tamil Nadu and Manipur — and both are worth learning as clusters rather than as separate facts. If a question names an unfamiliar art and one of those two states is an option, it is worth a second look.
5. Previous year questions
- Kalaripayattu is a martial art of which state? — Kerala
- Which martial art is often called the oldest in India? — Kalaripayattu
- Silambam belongs to which state? — Tamil Nadu
- Silambam is based on which weapon? — The staff or stick
- Gatka is associated with which state? — Punjab
- Thang-Ta is a martial art of which state? — Manipur
- What does the name Thang-Ta mean? — Sword and spear
- Sarit Sarak belongs to which state? — Manipur
- Mardani Khel is associated with which state? — Maharashtra
- Mallakhamb is performed on what? — A vertical pole or rope
- Mallakhamb is the state sport of which state? — Madhya Pradesh
- Inbuan wrestling belongs to which state? — Mizoram
- Thoda, the archery-based contest, is from which state? — Himachal Pradesh
- Sqay is a martial art of which region? — Jammu and Kashmir
- Paika Akhada is associated with which state? — Odisha
6. How to revise this topic
Revise from art to state, since that is the direction of nearly every question. There are only about eighteen entries that matter, so one careful pass and a weekly re-read fixes the whole topic.
Then learn the two clusters as groups rather than as individual facts. Tamil Nadu holds Silambam, Adimurai, Kuttu Varisai and Varma Kalai; Manipur holds Thang-Ta, Sarit Sarak, Huyen Langlon and Cheibi Gad-ga. Between them they cover a third of the list, and recognising the pattern helps when an unfamiliar name appears.
Finally attach the five distinguishing details that go beyond the state pairing: Kalaripayattu as the oldest, Silambam as staff-based, Thang-Ta meaning sword and spear, Mallakhamb as the pole art and state sport of Madhya Pradesh, and Paika Akhada linking to the 1817 rebellion. Those five turn a location list into answers for the harder questions.
7. Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the oldest martial art of India?
Kalaripayattu of Kerala is the one usually described as the oldest surviving Indian martial art. It is practised in a training arena called a kalari and combines strikes, grappling, weapons and a traditional healing component.
Which state is Silambam from?
Tamil Nadu. It is a stick or staff fighting art, and the name comes from the Tamil word for the bamboo staff used in it. Tamil Nadu also has Adimurai, Kuttu Varisai and Varma Kalai.
What does Thang-Ta mean and where is it from?
Thang means sword and Ta means spear, and it comes from Manipur. It is the armed part of the Huyen Langlon system, whose unarmed counterpart is Sarit Sarak. Any of those three names points to Manipur.
Which martial art is associated with Punjab?
Gatka, a sword and stick art associated with the Sikh tradition and with the Nihangs. It is one of the most reliably asked pairings in this topic.
Is Mallakhamb a martial art?
It is usually grouped with them in exam lists, though it is closer to a system of gymnastic training performed on a vertical pole or rope. It is practised in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and has been declared the state sport of Madhya Pradesh.
For more Static GK topics in simple language, see our Sports Cups and Trophies and Major Festivals of India posts, or browse the Static GK section. Preparing for a specific exam? Start with the SSC CGL guide or join the 100 Hour GS Course.