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Adimurai

Tamil martial art

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated July 20, 2026
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Adimurai is an Indian martial art originating in modern-day Tamil Nadu, the southernmost region in India. It was traditionally practiced in the Tirunelveli district, Kanyakumari district of modern-day Tamil Nadu and parts of Northern Sri Lanka as well as nearby areas in southeastern Kerala. Its preliminary empty-hand techniques are called Adithadai and application of vital points are called Varma Adi, although these terms are sometimes interchangeably used to refer to the martial art itself. Adimurai is a portmanteau in the Tamil language where adi means "to hit or strike" and murai means method or procedure. In modern period it is used alongside other Tamil martial arts.

01History

Adithadi is a non-lethal version of Adimurai which was developed in the Tamilnadu region of ancient India. It saw most of its practice in the Chola and Pandya kingdoms, where preliminary empty hand techniques were used.

02Practice

Adimurai is traditionally practiced outdoors or in unroofed areas. It is mainly practiced by, Kallars, and Nadars of southern Tamil Nadu. Techniques include strictly punching, basic kicking and basic blocking.

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Adimurai”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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