Man needed various achievements to sustain his existence during evolution. Among them, development in the fields of agriculture, transport, communication, etc was of paramount importance. In doing so, man also had problems with his own safety. As a result of it, each group of men began to practice combat tactics for the protection of their respective groups.
What is Martial art?
The word martial derives from the name of Mars, the Roman god of war, making the term, ‘Martial Arts’ which literally means the art of Mars,simply-Art of War.
When we talk about the past of martial arts, it goes back to the beginning of human civilization. The paintings of the Egyptian pyramids, the legend of Ravana in Ceylon, and the Indian Vedic texts bear witness to this.
It should be reminded here that we have a very proud history in the history of martial arts in Sri Lanka. History records the use of guerrilla warfare by the Sinhalese against their rifles and artillery during the Portuguese, Dutch and English invasions of Sri Lanka. History has it that during a battle against the Portuguese by Prince Tikiri, the waters of the Mulleriyawa Lake were turned into a single pool of blood, and the Portuguese were annihilated. When talking about world history, battles such as the battles of the ninja against the oppression of the samurai have played a significant role in protecting human independence. So we can prove that martial arts have done a significant job for the independence of man.
Martial arts are practiced all over the world now. Kungfu, karate, Jit undo, Krav Magha, and boxing are some of them. Today, martial arts provide a social service that goes beyond war by practicing martial art in conjunction with spirituality. The most important aspect here is the emergence of a disciplined, courageous, healthy community.
There are several martial arts in Sri Lanka that are active in creating these spiritual people. Since all these people know about foreign martial arts in Sri Lanka, I will mention a little about Ritigala Visuddhi Haramba, a local martial art. It is headed by spiritual leader Ritigala Sumedha and conducts training in over 100 temples in Sri Lanka based on Ritigala Vishuddhi spiritual monastery.
I hope you understand the importance of martial arts for human safety, health, and spirituality in this article. Before concluding this article, I would like to remind you of one of the dialogues in the movie Karate Kid. “Kung Fu is everywhere” – simply said everything is a martial art, so when you learn a martial art, it means that you are learning your life.
By Rtr. Supun Samarasinghe
Image Credits:
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This is a very interesting and rare article that talks about our ancient heritage , our very own historical martial art ” Ritigala Vishuddi Haramba(RVH)” .
Please write a series about RVH that includes how to be a member of RVH today and untold, unseen values about RVH that helps to make a better human.