Human Capital Preservation in High-Risk Environments: Strategic and Economic Perspectives on Traditional Warrior Rehabilitation Systems in Kerala

Kalaripayattu, the indigenous martial tradition of Kerala, has frequently been examined in relation to warfare, bodily discipline, and performance practices. Embedded within its martial framework, however, exists a sophisticated healing tradition known as Kalari Chikitsa. Developed alongside martial practice, Kalari Chikitsa emerged as a practical response to injuries sustained during combat and physical training, gradually evolving into a distinctive therapeutic system grounded in indigenous knowledge traditions. Central to this healing practice is Marma Vidya, the knowledge of vital points in the human body, which functions simultaneously as a martial and therapeutic system of understanding. This article examines Kalari Chikitsa and Marma Vidya as interconnected traditions that reveal broader understandings of embodiment, health, and healing in Kerala. It argues that Kalari Chikitsa should be understood not merely as a supplementary form of treatment attached to martial practice but as a body-centered system of indigenous knowledge shaped through martial experience, oral transmission, and interaction with regional medical traditions such as Ayurveda and Siddha medicine.

Kalaripayattu, Kalari Chikitsa, Marma Vidya, Indigenous Medicine, Kerala, Embodied Knowledge

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