Shastar Vidya (, meaning "science of weapons" or "art of weapons"), also known as Sanatan Shastar Vidiya or Jhatka-Gatka, was an ancient martial art of the Indian subcontinent that incorporates various kinds of weapons and techniques, and was revived by Sikhs in Punjab in the 17th century. Shastar Vidya has also been described as an ancient North Indian martial art involving weapons such as bows, swords, and maces. While in the ancient period it was associated with the Kshatriyas, the Hindu warrior class, the Sikhs became important custodians of the martial art during the medieval Mughal period.
During the British period in Punjab, after the 1850s , Shastar Vidya was gradually replaced by the Sikh Gatka martial art, that had its origin in shastar vidya. The British promoted the ceremonial Gatka martial art. Due to the changing nature of warfare brought about by technological advances, the Shastar Vidya martial art continued to decline in the 19th and 20th centuries. There have been some recent attempts to revive the martial art.
Background According to some scholars, Shastra Vidya is the name of the ancient North Indian martial art of the Kshatriyas – Hindus of the Vedic warrior class, which includes a broad range of armed and unarmed combat techniques, such as ground-fighting moves, sword strikes, mace blows, discus throws, and archery techniques. Martial-arts has a long association with Sikhism, with Guru Angad believed to have sponsored wrestling and learnt it from Guru Nanak. Guru Ram Das founded the Mal Akhara in Amritsar and awarded a turban-of-victory to Guru Arjan after he won a wrestling match against the wrestler Maskeen. The next guru Guru Hargobind martialized the Sikhs further, such as the adoption of the principle of miri-piri.
The UNESCO-affiliated ICM martial arts database describes Shastar Vidya as: "an ancient North Indian martial art from the Kshatriyas, Hindus of the Vedic warrior class" and notes that the literal meaning is "science of weapons" and identifies it as a warrior art involving weapons such as bows, swords, maces, axes, and tridents. Sanatan Shastra Vidya also included connections among Hindu gods, martial arts, and pre-battle goddess worship, as well as the Dharmic rules of warfare.
Whilst the term Gatka is commonly used to refer to the modern Sikh martial art system, the historical term was Shastar Vidya, which encompassed a broader range of practices. Gatka is part of one branch (an aṅg) of the wider Shastar Vidya martial art system. According to Nidar Singh the Shastar Vidya existed in the Indian subcontinent before Sikhism and was preserved by people from many different cultures and religions.
Utility According to the former Jathedar of the Damdami Taksal, Gurbachan Singh Bhindranwale, there are two different kinds of the vidya (science/art), the first is performative (meant for exhibition) and the second is authentic and bona fide (which is lethal). According to him, the second type is meant for the warrior who is ready to kill his enemy or become a martyr himself. The form of gatka which is authentic and lethal is termed as jhaṭkā-gatkā but very few masters of the genuine martial art exist in the present-day as the martial art has become dominated by the performative expression of it.
Branches Shastar Vidya is made up of seven (components, or branches):
– unarmed combat – iron fist fighting – wrestling – stick/club fighting, including – weapon fighting – missile fighting
Training
The bare necessities required for mastery of Shastar Vidya is a healthy diet and physical fitness, which is reached through exercises such as sūraj namaskār (sun salutations), bhujaṅg-dand (Indian press-ups), and ūtak-baiṭakh (Indian squats). After the 17th century, the master and teacher of Shastar Vidya was called an ustad, while the students and disciples were called shagirad.
Weapons are usually taught through sparring with a sword and shield but usually non-lethal forms of weapons are used for beginners, such as wooden sticks. Once a student has reached an advanced level, sparring with actual lethal weapons can occur but it requires stringent discipline and focus. People sparring are referred to as khidārīs.
In order to produce a capable warrior that is ever reminded of death even while living, the martial art stresses upon both spiritual (meditation and prayer) and temporal strengths (awareness, healthy diet, exercise, and fighting techniques) of humanity. Practitioners are to follow a strict Rehat (code of conduct).
The martial art combines and stresses upon the Sikh religious concepts of tyar bar tyar (a state of being "ready upon ready"), sevā (selfless voluntary service), and Degh Tegh Fateh (victory of charity and arms).
Fundamentals
Footwork Footwork forms are referred to as Paiṅtarā or asanas. They are used to coordinate the entire body in unison with whatever weapons are being wielded.
Some of the different footwork styles are as follows (each may incorporate different kinds of weapons):
– the most basic form that the others are based upon. It is a simple four-step pattern and an exercise of both balance and coordination of the body that is regularly practiced. tiger monkey bull snake eagle
Movements Working upon the footwork, there are various movements that "dictates the strategy of engagement". The different kinds of movements or actions are termed . Membranophone instruments like the or drums are used to aid the rhythms of the various movements so the practitioners can internalize them to muscle-memory.
Some forms are as follows:
– forward-and-backward, side-to-side movements
Maneuvers
The various offensive (attacking) and defensive (blocking) maneuvers of Shastar Vidya are based upon the positioning of the limbs (such as feet and hands) but also weapons during the footwork movements. All these fundamentals together are the repertoire of the practitioner and are termed .
Some offensive and defensive maneuvers are as follows:
– direct strike – blocking – twisting – throwing – snatching – locking or holding – swinging – leaping
When the student has reached an advanced level, they are then taught about chambers (such as feints) and other misalignment methods.
Striking points Various locations of the human body have traditionally been identified as striking points or within the martial art. There are thirty-three striking points () located on the human anatomy, of which, eight of them are considered to be major points. There are nine different kinds of strikes and each strike has a counter (called a ).
Weaponry
Within the martial art, weapons are called . There is a different training regimen assigned to each weapon, with some weapons even having their own dedicated footworking (). Before individuals are training in any particular weapon, they must first have a ground basis in the basic footworking and open-handed combat () style. The first weapon that is taught is called a , which is a usually a bamboo stick, and it used to teach all of the basic bodily movements. A common basic weapon combination which is coached is the (wooden stick) and (dry leather shield), which after its mastery, the next combination taught is the (sword) and (shield). Projectile weapons or missiles are classified as .
Other weapons traditionally taught and employed by the martial art includes:
- axe - mace - spear - lance - double-edged sword - bow and arrow - quoit (spun and flung from the index finger or ) Weapons are categorized in various groups based upon the nature of how they are utilized, released, or wielded, some categories namely being:
- weapons released either by hand or from machines, examples being the catapult or bow - weapons wielded by hand - weapons that are both projectiles and also wielded by hand
Many weapons used within Shastar Vidya are described within the secondary Sikh canon, known as the Dasam Granth. One verse by Guru Gobind Singh is an invocation of the divine by evoking the names of weapons and terming them as a master and it is often recited by practitioners of the martial art, it is as follows:
Weapons are often venerated, as a form and agent of the divine, within the martial art. Within the martial art, weaponry is seen as the power () of (God). The Sikh gurus revered weapons and passed down the practice of deeply respecting weapons to Sikhs. The practice of venerating weapons is known as . Any class or performance of the martial art involves certain rituals taking place, such as the customary offering of and . An prayer is performed beforehand and then the practitioner respectfully salutes and bows to the weapon out of reverence. Weapons can be directly approached or circumambulated around. This manner of paying obeisance to the weaponry through rituals is called or (weapon salutation). It is common for particular hymns from the Dasam Granth to be recited as an incantation, such as excerpts from the , and compositions. (war cries) are also exclaimed during the process, such as or .
Before any sparring session is to occur, both practitioners must salute one another (known as ) by ritually crossing and hitting each other's weapons, which is done two times.
There are also particular prescribed patterns for arranging the weapons for display, which is referred to as , with one specific layout that is recorded in an early (code of conduct) being the . There also exists a favoured arrangement meant to represent the lotus flower. The weapons can be adorned or placed on different parts of the body or clothing, such as (cummerbund) or around the (turban).
Once the practitioner has mastered both the movement and wielding of weapons, they can perform the fluid motions and flowing movements of the martial art, which is called (the dance of death).
Battle tactics and formations
Mobile warfare is called chakkar-bazi. Fighting in close-quarters is termed saf-jang ('battle in the line'). Fighting with swords and spears is known as ahan-i-sard ('cold iron'). The Sikhs employed a particular type of "hit-and-run" tactic on horseback known as Dhaī Phaṭ ('two and a half injuries') that was observed by contemporary writers (both native and foreign): first the Sikhs advance and then retreat, then rally and return to the fight again.
History
Origin The ultimate origin for the martial art is unknown and disputed. A theory claims it ultimately traces its origin to Indo-European migrations into the Indian subcontinent whilst an opposing hypothesis is that it evolved indigenously in the Indian subcontinent prior to the arrival of the Indo-Aryans. Nidar Singh, one of the sole remaining practitioners of the martial art, claims the battle art has existed in the subcontinent for thousands of years and been preserved by people from many different cultures and religions.
Adoption by Sikhs
Since the 17th century, the Sikh tribes of the Punjab adopted the martial art and became the chief custodians and masters of this fighting system. Popular 18th century Sikh tradition based upon hagiographies and oral history claims that Guru Nanak had reached mastery of fourteen different subjects, one of which was martial in-nature. Some of the subjects Guru Nanak is said to have mastered include swimming, medicine, yoga, horsemanship, and martial arts. Guru Angad is remembered for promoting the art of wrestling among the Sikhs. He established an akhara (Indic martial training centre and arena) in Khadur Sahib, named Gurdwara Mal Akhara.
Furthermore, there is metaphorical martial imagery presented in the Guru Granth Sahib, an example is as follows: