The Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of fighting styles. They are collectively referred to in Sanskrit as dhanurveda (from dhanus and veda meaning bow and knowledge respectively) which is the term for the "science of archery" in Puranic literature, later applied to martical arts in general. The Vishnu Purana text describes dhanurveda as one of the traditional eighteen branches of knowledge.
Fighting arts from the Indian subcontinent are diverse in nature and vary according to region and time of origin. For example, a number of ancient Dravidian martial arts were developed in South India including Kuttu Varisai (empty hand combat), malyutham and Varma Kalai (the art of vital points) in Tamil Nadu, as well as kalaripayat (way of the arena) and adithada (attack and defend) in Kerala.
Some of the older traditions include the organised martial systems practiced by the kshatriya warrior caste of Hinduism. These systems include armed and unarmed combat, and aspects such as meditation and mental conditioning.
The importance of martial arts in Indian culture is visible in the many ancient Hindu temples which have statues of deities and warriors in various combat postures. The theories behind yoga, ayurvade and tantra, such as kundalini (coiled energy), prana (life energy), nadi (meridians), chakra (energy points) and marmam (pressure points), are also present in Indian fighting systems.
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