Silambam

Ancient Tamil weapons art centred on a flexible 1.5 m bamboo staff.

👥1 per team🌤both

What is Silambam?

Silambam is one of the oldest weapons-based martial arts in the world, developed in ancient Tamil Nadu. Practitioners use a long flexible staff (about 1.5 m) with spinning, striking and defensive techniques; senior training extends to swords, sickles and long knives. Modern competition scores clean strikes on protective gear.

Quick facts

Category

Combat Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

both

Country of origin

🇮🇳 India

Estimated origin

Ancient Tamil Nadu, India (>2,000 years)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-20.verified