Embed - Urumi is an ancient Indian flexible sword, consisting of several double-edged steel bands.
The straps are one to two meters long and are attached to a simple wooden handle. The width of the tapes can be from one to three centimeters. Urumi has a relatively low weight, about 700 g. Urumi is often confused with another flexible sword - talwar.
Talwar is a traditional Indian saber, which, according to legend, the Gods themselves fought against legions of demons. There are several flexible enough copies that fold into a ring, which causes some confusion. The main difference between the urumi and other, even if flexible enough swords, is the multi-blade nature. It is not known for certain about the existence of the urumi with one single blade.
The excellent flexibility of the blade allowed the urumi to be worn hidden under clothing, wrapping it around the body.
In some cases, the length of such a sword could reach six meters, although one and a half meters can be considered the standard. Previously, such flexible swords were worn by assassins, remaining unnoticed for weapons. After all, this sword, as already mentioned, is very flexible, and it can be wrapped around the belt.
The flexible sword is a rather dangerous weapon that requires martial art. It can work both as a regular whip and as a sword. Interestingly, the urumi can have more than one stripe, but several, which makes it a powerful and very dangerous weapon in the hands of a true master.
Wielding this sword required good skill. Due to the fact that the urumi was very flexible, there was a serious risk of self-harm for the wearer. Therefore, beginners started training with long pieces of cloth. Urumi is part of the traditional South Indian martial art, Kalaripayattu.
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Kalaripayattu, as a martial art, gained its development in the second half of the 16th century, despite the prohibitions of the British colonialists, who feared the appearance of an uncontrolled military structure. But despite the prohibitions, schools continued to train Kalaripayattu fighters. The paramount rule of martial art for a warrior was perfect control of his body. The battle took place in conditions of incessant movement, instant lunges and dips, jumps, coups and somersaults in the air.
A fighter calaripayattu was armed with a saber or a dagger, a trident or a lance with a steel tip. Some masterfully wielded a long, double-edged sword. But the most formidable weapon was the Urumi sword. From the handle extended several flexible razor-sharp blades, about two meters long. The fight could have ended in the first second, since the movement of the urumi was completely unpredictable. One swing of the sword carried the blades to the sides and their further movement was unpredictable, especially for the enemy.
The very fact that the urumi multi-bladed sword appeared in ancient times has been repeatedly questioned. There are several main versions concerning the origin of the urumi and its purpose. Some believe that urumi appeared in the 60s of the last century, as a sports equipment necessary for modern martial arts. Supporters of this version rely on the fact that so far not a single authentic Urumi sword has been discovered - neither in museums nor in private collections. Others argue that the art of urumi is part of the traditional South Indian martial art of kalaripayattu.
The history of the martial art of Kalaripayattu is rich and rather old, as it dates back to about 1000 BC. This version relates the time of the appearance of the urumi to the time of the appearance of the kalaripayattu. The path to mastering the urumi perfectly, within the framework of kalaripayattu, was approximately 12 years.
This version is adhered to by KS Nosov, the author of the most curious book - "Traditional weapons of India". In addition, there is a theory according to which this urumi is nothing more than an indicator of the level of skill of blacksmiths, who competed among themselves in who can skillfully perform this amazing multi-bladed sword. Nowadays, urumi is produced for both cold steel collectors and athletes.
Urumi combines the qualities of a sword and a whip, but still more often referred to as a "last chance" weapon. The flexible blades of the urumi easily fold into a tight spiral, which can be spinned quite sharply, thereby catching the enemy by surprise. Urumi can also be worn at the waist, in the form of a belt, which once again proves the fact that this weapon is secretive and hardly acted as the main means of defense and attack. Shorter versions of the urumi are known to have been paired with a fist shield. Urumi was most likely intended to be one person versus multiple opponents in open space. Urumi is a rather unusual weapon that is not applicable in tight spaces or in a crowd of people.