President Rajapaksa calls for revival of Angampora as a national sport
Published on: Sunday, November 18, 2012 //
President Mahinda
Rajapaksa has again showed that protecting our heritage should be given top
priority in the unending path of Sri Lanka’s development process.Angampora, the
native martial art which dates back to over 30,000 years is a very important
part of our history as well as our heritage. Foregn invaders had to face this
deadly combat art many a time which resulted in the banning of it.
President Rajapaksa
should be commended for the initiative taken to uplift Angampora as a national
sport.According to the Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage, this
martial art will be improved through a national sports association and a
national level programme will be implemented to improve and develop Angampora
in the rural areas as well.
Angampora is a style of martial art
native to Sri
Lanka. It combines combat techniques, self-defense,
sport,
exercise and
meditation.
Key techniques observed in Angampora
are: Angam, which incorporates
hand-to-hand fighting, and Illangam,
which uses indigenous weapons such as Velayudaya,
staves, knives and swords. Its most distinct feature is the use of pressure
point attacks to inflict pain or permanently paralyze the opponent.
Fighters usually make use of both striking
and grappling
techniques, and fight until the opponent is caught in a submission lock that
they cannot escape. Anga"
means parts of the body. Thus Angampora:
the fight involving parts of the body. The variant of fighting which involves
weapons is called Illangam.The practice thrived during the medieval period of Sri Lanka. Troops which conquered the Jaffna Kingdom under the command of Sapumal Kumaraya included fighters who excelled in this art. A generation descending from a heroine named Menike or Disapathiniya who lived around this time, is credited for ensuring the survival of the true fighting style for centuries. Menike, dressed in male clothes, is said to have defeated the killer of her father in a fight inside a deep pit known as Ura linda (Pig's pit), during a historic fight.. Angampora fighters also fought alongside the army of Mayadunne of Sitawaka in the 1562 Battle of Mulleriyawa. Rajasinha I of Sitawaka, who succeeded Mayadunne, became a faithful sponsor of this art.
Sri Lanka – or
Ceylon as it was known – has endured countless invasions from India, as well as
colonisation by the Portuguese, Dutch and eventually the British. All of them
were met with fierce resistance. While the local kings kept a large number of
full-time soldiers, farmers were also trained to answer the call of the war
drum should belligerents arrive on their shores. Angam pora made up a large
part of this national defence and, using guerrilla tactics, unbridled ferocity
and no small amount of expertise, it swayed many wars in favour of the Sri
Lankans.
The Portuguese in particular
were to learn the true power of angam in the most costly circumstances. Despite
taking to the field with superior weapons, the Iberian forces were obliterated
in the 1562 Battle of Mulleriyawa, fought in marshland against locally trained
forces backed by war elephants. This would set a tone: in nearly 150 years of
occupation, the Portuguese failed to conquer any more than one third of the
island.
From 1656 – 1796, the Dutch
enjoyed a little more success, but the resistance from native royalty was no
less stubborn. In his 1681 account of life as a prisoner on the island, English
sailor Robert Knox described the often fruitless attempts by the Dutch to
placate the Ceylonese rulers.
“In this The Dutch therefore not being able to
deal with him by the Sword, being unacquainted with the Woods and the
Chingulays manner of fighting, do endeavour for Peace with him all they can,
dispatching divers Embassadours [sic] to him, and sending great Presents… he
neither regarding their Embassadours nor receiving the Presents, but taking his
opportunities on a suddain [sic] by setting on them with his Forces.”
In 1796 governance of the island WAS passed to
the British Empire, whose campaign against the insurgents was both relentless
and bloody. In 1817, having recently gained control of the previously
unconquered Kingdom of Kandy, Sir Robert Brownrigg, Governor of Ceylon,
acknowledged the danger posed by angam pora and took extreme measures to
suppress it. The practise was outlawed via notice in the local newspaper, and
many of the teaching Gurus were rounded up and their maduwas (training centres) razed to the ground. From then on, anyone
found to be involved with angam pora would be shot in the knee.This devastated the number of people teaching and learning the martial art. However, it was not eradicated completely. Many people, keen to keep their traditions alive, began to practise in secret and several of the foot movements were disguised in traditional dance. What would have looked like theatrical prancing to the eyes of an inspecting officer were actually the graceful movements essential to angam pora’s survival. This form of traditional dancing is still on show in Kandy today.
There were two major schools of Angampora: Maruwalliya and Sudhaliya. These schools routinely fought each other in the early modern times of Sri Lanka. Leaders of these schools were known as Maruwalliya Muhandiram Nilame and Sudhalaye Muhandiram Nilame. These fights took place in the presence of the king, and were known as Angam-kotāgæma. The huts used by Angampora fighters for training, were known as "Angam Madu". These were built according to the concepts of Gebim Shasthraya, the traditional architecture.
Both men and women of Buddhist origin are eligible to learn to fight Angampora. The Angam technique is divided into three main disciplines, Gataputtu (locks and grips), Pora Haramba (strikes and blocks) and Maru Kala (nerve point attacks). Gataputtu are placed on an opponent using the fighter's hands, legs or head. Pora Haramba include apporoximately eighteen forms of offensive strikes and seven of defensive blocks. Maru Kala is the technique that incorporates nerve-point attacks capable of inflicting pain on the opponent and also of causing serious injury
Before a practice session starts, the student is expected to meditate and to offer merit to the master. Student lights three lamps as he enters to the Angam Maduwa. He also has to make a pledge not to use the technique for anything except for the self-defense and the defense of his family or country Practicing begins with basic warm-up exercises, gradually moving on to special exercises. Foot movement techniques are the cornerstone of this art of fighting, and a foot exercise called Mulla Panina is the first skill taught. In this, the student is disciplined for making even simple mistakes. This exercise is followed next by more advanced techniques like Gaman Thalawa.
The hand fighting technique known as Amaraya belongs to the next level. A student learns to observe the weaknesses of the opponent, and to attack those weak points with experience. Weapons such as the Suruttuwaluwa/Velayudaya (an apparatus made of four long flexible pieces of metal, with sharp edges on both sides), the combat sword, Keti Kaduwa (a smaller version of the sword), and cane sticks are also used for fighting, together with the Paliha, a shield. In total, there are sixty-four types of weapon, including thirty-two different swords.
A graduation ceremony known as the Helankada Mangalya is the apex of the life of an Angampora fighter. This ceremony is held inside a Buddhist temple. Panikkirala, or fencing master, is the highest position in Angampora, which is the headmanship of a particular school.[ However, the tradition does not use a rank signal mechanism like belt, to denote the degree of competence of the fighter. The male-fighters usually fight barechest. Although Angampora is designed to kill, it requires the practitioner to adhere at all times to a stringent discipline In extreme cases, fights are held inside deep holes. Some deadly, higher level Angam attacks involve the nervous system of human body. If executed properly, they can stop the blood circulation of vital organs, leading to paralysis or even death. Alongside such techniques students learn an Ayurvedic practice known as Beheth Pārawal, or medical shots, for reversing the effects of such strikes.
Historical
Evidences For Angam Kalawa
- MAHA WANSHAYA: This mentions about ANGAMPORA fighting which was used in the battle of king ELARA and KING DUTUGEMUNU.IT specially describes the fighting styles of GHOTAIMBARA AND THERAPUTHTHABAYA.
- MAHA WANSHAYA: This mentions that king PARAKRAMABAHU enjoyed a martial art display done by his soldiers in 12th century.
- CHULA WANSHAYA: This mentions that king 4 VIJAYABAHU enjoyed a fighting display of his army.
- RAJAWALIYA: This mentions how KONAPPUBANDARA (1 WIMALADHARMASURIA) defeated a Portuguese swordsman by using ANGAMPORA.
- MAGHA SALAKUNA KAWYA: This mentions about a fighting academy named as “AGE MADILLA” in Kandy in 15th century.
- JUGAN HANDERSAN: This writer who served for Dutch in 1669 has mentioned about SRILANKAN fighters in his book on SRI LANKA.
- DR.JOHN DEV: HE has mentioned about the “SUDALAIYA”CLAN and “MARUWALLIYA” CLAN who practiced ANGAMPORA.HE has specially mentioned about the deadly fights done in “URA LIDA” (Gladiator fighting arena)
- H.C.P BELL: HE merely describes about a fighting clan which was started by a lady named “GALABODA KUMARIHAMI”.Then he reports about the battle of MULLERIYA.
