Gatka

[gagan]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

GATKA-THE MARTIAL ARTS OF SIKHS

Gatka is a martial art that is practised in the northern part of India and goes back centuries. Sikhs have used these poweful techniques to meditate and defend themselves for years. The effectiveness of the techniques on the battlefields is legendary. The legend tells that a Master of Gatka was able to fight against hundreds of enemies. Gatka is based on meditation and the practise of more than 10 weapons. The sword is one of the most used weapons.

GATKA - The History

What is Gatka?

It is in fact an Indian Martial art and has been practised as a martial art by the Sikhs of northern India for hundreds of years. Gatka is the name of a stick used to practice sword fighting.

Origins of Gatka

Most of the Gatka fighting today has been Europeanized of what was the original martial art of India known as Shastra Vedia. Shastra Vedia is a part of the vast Vedic tradition which dates back nearly ten thousand years. Yoga, Meditation, Aryuvedic medicine also share these same roots. Shastra Vedia is the complete science of war from hand to hand combat to battlefield strategy. It was exported to the oriental along with Buddhism and became the foundation for the Chinese and Japanese martial art tradition. There is no author or acknowledged teacher who originally developed this martial art. Although through its long history there have been many great masters. The earliest was Krishna Maharaja. It is believed that he had mastered of all sixteen principals of the Vedia. The Mahabharat which is an epic story of a conflict during the Vedic period is full of accounts

of Krishna's and his ability on the battlefield. In Mahabharat is the first known reference of Shastra Vedia.

Gatka Masters

Ram Chander was acknowledged as a master as were the Rajput kings. The Rajputs had developed an entire culture around their knowledge of Shastra Vedia that lasted for centuries. But by the time the Muslims had invaded India their once proud martial tradition had degenerated in nothing more than rituals and dogma. A very significant event took place during this time. Fifty two of the last remaining princes of Rajastan where taken prisoner by the Muslims. In desperation to free them the Sikh Guru Hargobind of the Punjab was approached for help. He had had many skirmishes with the Muslims and had begun to form an army of his own. Guru Hargobind was successful in freeing the princes and in gratitude the Rajputs taught he and his fledging Sikh army Shastra Vedia. The tenth spiritual master of the Sikhs Guru Gobind Singh would bring the Vedia to its fruition. By enjoining the spiritual tradition passed on to him through the nine successive Sikh Gurus and the knowledge contained within Shastra Vedia he created the basics of Sikh Dharma. Previous to Guru Gobind Singh the Sikhs had a single Holy book known as the Adi Granth. To this he added two other Granths, Sarab Lo Granth and Dhasam Granth which contain the martial tradition of the Vedia. The marriage of these spiritual and temporal powers was embodied in the elite warriors known as Nihangs.

The Nihangs

Through the strength of their Dharma the Nihangs eventually drove out the Muslims and Moghals from India and permanently close Indian's northern border to invasion. Ranjit Singh was a Sikh king who ruled over Punjab for many years. Although he was a small and awkward man he enlisted and trained some of the most dynamic Sikh warriors ever. So strong was his fighting force that he and his brave Singhs stopped the land hungry British in their conquest of India. With all the resources the British had avail

able to them they chose not to attempt an invasion of Punjab while Ranjit was king. Rather they allowed the empire to collapse from within. Sadly the wealth and prosperity of the Sikh kingdom had corrupted it. Betrayal, murder and conspiracy with the British after Ranjits death reduced the once great empire to ashes in a matter of days.

The British Invasion

The British never had to fire a shot to seize control of the riches of the Punjab. Even with the Punjab effectively enslaved by the British the Sikhs were still a dangerous force to deal with. Again rather than confront the Sikhs directly and chance a holy war the British infiltrated them. Their plan was to convert Sikh Dharma in a branch of Christianity and thus pacify the Sikhs forever. British controlled Sikh religious and political parties were established as a means to subvert the Dharma. The two Granths written by Guru Gobind Singh which formed the triad of the Dharma were removed from the temples. They were replaced with table organs known as harmoniums to add a Christian flavor to the Sikh worship. Weapons of any sort were banned in Punjab with the threat of life imprisonment and the confiscation of land. The Akali Nihang Singhs were the protectors of the faith from the time of Guru Gobind Singh. They alone who had the complete knowledge of the Vedia's original traditions and history of the Sikhs Dharma. Once the British realized this they were hunted down and killed. Over 1500 of these great warriors were slaughtered in their attempt to crush Sikhism. To preserve the Dharma the most knowledgeable of the teachers were sent off to hide in the forest and villages of Punjab. Their mission was to find in their life time five students to pass the Dharma on to.

Shastra Vedia Today

Today Shastra Vedia in India is all but forgotten. There remains a only a handful of qualified teachers of this once great art but many are to old to teach. And students willing to endure the long painful process of mastering the science are rare. Remnants

of Shustra Vedia can be found in northern India as Gatka and in the south in Kalaripayatt. Both are simplified ceremonial versions of Shastra Vedia used in religious celebrations and sporting events.

GATKA - The Shastra

The Ten Weapons

The ten weapons are to be respected, it is believed these weapons are directly from God and they demonstrate the power of God on earth. It is therefore upto mankind to use these weapons for the purposes of good and not for man to abuse them. We will now examine each weapon.

Barcha

Also known as a Barchi or Spear. This is a long spear which is used for thrusting and cutting, there is also a small spike on the reverse end.

Chakra

Also known as Chacra, Chakar, Chakram or a throwing disc. This is basically a flat steel ring anything from 5 to 12 inches in diameter, and can be up to 1 1/2 inches wide. Thrown with accuracy and force it can cut a 3/4 inches wide bamboo stick from a distance of thirty yards.

This weapon can be seen in some of our modern day films, Xena Warrior Princess carries a Chakra on her hip at all times in the popular television series.

Dahl

This is a round shield which measures from 8 to 24 inches in diameter. They are either flat or convex shaped and made of steel or leather. 2 handles are riveted into the shield and there is a square cushion on the inside of the shield to rest your knuckles. The handles are so placed that, when tightly grasped, they force the backs of the fingers against the cushion giving a very firm and comfortable hold.

Gurj

Also known as a Mace. Indian maces have a great variations in their shape. From simply curved steel bars to persian influenced maces with openings in the head wich gave a whistling sound when the blow was struck to plane massive heads. They often have guardet hilts like the Khanda

Kaman

This is a bow and most of the bows are composite. Some are made of steel with block of wood at the handles. They are of the shape of composite bows and rev

erse when strung. Others are made of up to nine layers of wood or horn.

Katar

Also known as a Coutar, Katha, Koutha, Kutha or Kutar. This is an armor piercing Dagger and is the oldest and most characteristic of Indian knives. The handle is made up of two parallel bars connected by two, or more, crosspieces, one of which is at the end of the side bars and is fastened to the blade. Generally with straight double-edged blades and sometimes curved from a few inches to about 3 feet. The Indian armorers occasionally made Katars that were hollow and served as sheaths for smaller ones; or with three blades that folded together, appearing to be one, until handle bars were pressed together, when they opened out.

Khanda

Also known as Khunda. This is a double edged sword and is straight but widens at the point. There is a broad plate guard for the hand and a spike on the pommel which acts as a guards for the arm. The inside of the guard is padded.

Kirpan

Also known as a Kirphan or Dagger. All Sikhs should carry this and the Gatka techniques make this a lethal weapon.

Lathi

Also known as the Quarterstaff. An old Indian saying is "The harder the times the longer the lathis."

This is a commonly used weapon and can be extremely effective when used properly. Your height determines the length of the lathi and it is usually made of Oak or Ironwood.

Marathi

This is a bamboo stick and is mainly used for training purposes. Some have blades and burning cloths at the end to ward off elephants and put the frighten the enemy.

Soti

Also known as Gatka Soti or Sothi. The Soti is made from fire hardened bamboo or ratan, 1m long and usualy has a hand guard. It is mainly used for practice and "playing Gatka", the training fight. For combat they were replaced by oak ore ironwood sticks, without hand guards.

Tabar

Also known as the Tapar or Battle Axe. At first the ordinary hatchet or axe of civil life was used as a weapon, but special varieties were soon d

eveloped for fighting. War axes were of all sizes from light weapons, to heavy pole axes requiring the use of both arms. The Indian axes are generally lighter than the European and often have the handle made of a flat plate of steel with pieces of wood riveted to each side. Occasionally they have a dagger concealed in the handle; and, sometimes, a sharp-edged hook projects from one side. Combinations of axes and pistols were fairly common in India; in these the barrel of the pistol is often the handle of the axe.

Talwar

Also known as Tulwar, Tulwaur, Tarwar or Sabre. lt includes practically all of the curved swords used in India; but those of very marked curvature are frequently called by their Persian name, shamshir. The Talwar is the commonest sword in India and the blades vary enormously in Size, curvuature and quality. The hilts generally have short, heavy quilIons and disk pommels. They may or may not have finger guards; some have as many as three. Several other forms of hilts are also used. The Nihangs are as careful of their swords and take as much pains to keep them in order as the japanese samurai. It is a common saying that a really objectionable act is "as disgraceful as haveing a blunt sword." "These are Sikh cavalry-who know not steel scabbards-but wear leather sheaths, wherein the swords do not become blunt and dull-keen bright and ready, as many a deep and ghastly cut on Sepoy corpses can testify."(Majendie)

Tir

The Indian arrows have steel heads of a great variety of shapes, with tangs fitting into the shafts, which are generally of reed. The shafts are often painted and gilded elaborately. These arrows have three feathers and bone, or ivory , noks.

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[Sarbloh Soulja]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

....we should all try to learn gatka...or sum form of martial art..as it is one of the 52 hukams of guru gobind singh ji... . . . by the way, has any1 got the 52 hukams that thwey could post up?

[simran_kaur]

^_^

i wanna join gatka soooo badly....

.. but unfortunately i don't have a ride... :umm: .. watch when i start driving.. i'm gona "chuk phute" ... all day at the gurudawara.

[S1ngh]

Why Gatka?

Read below quotes :

Another incident in India, after the prime ministers' death, an eighty year old man was attacked whilst riding his scooter in Delhi by a mass of 3000 people. He was forced to defend himself and so took out his Kirpan (sword) and using his knowledge of Gatka, seriously injured and killed many of his attackers. When the police arrived at the scene the attackers fled, one of the officers present at the attack reported "all I could see was an old man standing sword in hand and numerous dead body's lying around him."

Even here in Britain, around the same period angry individuals in their hundreds rioted outside a Gurudwara in Dudley, and two Nahang Singhs successfully defended the Gurudwara, and reports have it that not one attacker was able to set foot in the Temple.

So clearly the effectiveness of Gatka has been proved for centuries, not just by the Sikhs but also the earlier practitioners of this art. However it is taught by the masters of this art that, Gatka, either when fighting in a battle or in simple self-defense is absolutely useless without `Gurbani'. As a higher level of spiritual consciousness is needed rather than just sheer knowledge.

From : SearchSikhism.com

[Sarbloh Soulja]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

waheguru...

[me moorakh mugadh]

vwihgurU jI kw Kwlsw!

vwihgurU jI kI &iqh!!

gatke da pehla rule u shouild have very good energy,do regular practice for this

[gagan]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

lol dats tru. Gatka is very energetic, and you should be very energetic to do Gatka and very fit!!! but it is 4 evry1 at the end of the day, ne1 can do Gatka, juss requires determination from u!!

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[Gupt daasan daas]

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

I would just like to say gatka is aloy of fun, and an exellent art of fighting. By the way, Guru Hargobind Sahib je maharaj

learned gatka from baba buddha je, and guru sahib taught his army gatka. The raja guru je took with him from jail, had nothing to do with guru sahibs army learning gatka.

Bhull chukk maff.

:nihungsmile: :g :g

Waheguroo Jee Ka Khalsa!

Waheguroo Jee Kee Fateh!!

[GABROO KHALISTAN DAH]

can't wait till i learn gathka, first thing is 2 saaj singh

[Ryu Hayabusa]

Some awesome gatka videos on the downloads section of this website:

http://forums.waheguroo.com/index.ppa?act=ST&f=7&t=533