Kalaripayattu is believed to have originated with the land itself. The history of Kalari dates back to the Vedic era. Dhanurveda, upaveda of Yajurveda, mentions about the practices used for warfare. Agnipurana has extracts from Dhanurveda which clearly depicts the weapons used and the training which was given during the Vedic period.

During the Sangom Age (BC200-AD600) is the time when many famous Tamil literary works were compiled. Many of these sets of poems like Puranaru and Akanaru mentions about Verakalu, the stone laid down for the valiant hero, and also of the martially inclined practices that were rampant among the people during that period. The Kalaripayattu has been used repeatedly in these anthologies.

According to one school of thought, the proponent of Kalaripayattu is Sage Agasthya and he passed down the knowledge to 18 disciples or sidhas. Eminent among them were sages like Kumbhamuni, Pulasthian, and Bogar from whom it was passed on to the next generation of sages like Parashurama and hence on.

Another belief popular in the Malabar area speaks about Lord Shiva as the one who developed the art during his wrath over dakshayaga, and he taught this to Parashurama, his disciple, who later passed it on to 21 Brahmins.

With time, there developed shalas (centers of learning and healing) where the practitioners perfected martial techniques and used their healing skills in service to the community. When need arose they were called upon to protect king and country. These shalas came to be known as kalaris. The practitioners were mainly Nairs.

The Portuguese traveler Durate Barbosa mentioned the practice of Kalaripayattu in his travel log in the 12th century A.D.

Kalaripayattu, the divine art form of Kerala, is believed to be the oldest martial art in the world today and the progenitor of all existing martial arts, hence reverentially called, “Mother of all Martial Art”. Da Mo Sardili, (also popularly known in Chinese scriptures as Bodhidharma) a Buddhist monk from South India, is credited with having introduced Kalaripayattu into China in the early part of 6th century A.D. His theories and practices molded on the tenets of Kalaripayattu form the basis of martial art Shao Lin Kung-Fu which in turn sired other forms like Karate.

In the southernmost part of the Vedic land of India is the state of Kerala. The enchanting combination of seas, lagoons, backwaters, coconut trees, and rainforests, earned it the sobriquet, "God's own country". Legend has it that Sage Parashurama created the land from the sea. In this legendary land, emanated a clan of skilled fighters whose practice was called as Kalaripayattu. Derived from the Sanskrit word, kaloorika, meaning the place where we practice.

Kalaripayattu draws its inspiration in the pristine ethos of the land of its origin, Kerala. The natural beauty, cultural aestheticism and spiritual magnificence of the land are delectably mirrored in every element of this martial art form. The beauty of Kalaripayattu lies in its inherent harmonious union of art, science, medicine, and spirituality to evolve a complete way of life. A Kalaripayattu artist strives to achieve the perfect synchronization of his body and soul. This spiritualistic element gives it a unique status among the martial art forms in the world.

Though the colonialist period saw a sad decline in the popularity of Kalaripayattu, the past few decades have ushered in a welcome renaissance of this martial art, thanks to the exemplary efforts of a select band of dedicated and selfless Kalaripayattu gurus or masters

Kalaripayattu education begins with the initiation ceremony where the prospective student, after offering his prayers to the Divine Source, submits himself at the feet of the Guru and receives his blessings. Following this, the student takes an oath where he gives his solemn word that he will use this knowledge of Kalaripayattu for the propagation of Dharma.

The student is first taught a series of well-orchestrated motion sequences called CHUVADU through which he attains flexibility and fluidity of movements. Each chuvadu or sequence combines the grace and aestheticism of a dance form with the speed and athleticism of martial combat. The initial chuvadu are concerned with the techniques of unarmed combat and involves an amazing array of bows, strikes, parries, kicks and jumps performed with incredible agility at breathtaking speeds. After perfecting the intricacies of unarmed combat, the student graduates to the realm of armed combat. Starting with blunt weaponry like the short stick and the long stick, he eventually achieves mastery in the use of a wide array of weapons including knives, daggers, spears, straight swords and finally the deadly long, flexible, double-edged sword known as the urmi.

The unarmed combat training is divided into Chuvadu, Adishthana Chuvadu (or Basic Classes), Maypayttu, Kaiporu (or Free Hand Techniques), Redu Veesu, Valivu (or Throws), Adavu, and Pottu (or Locks), Piruvu (Releases). Moving on to blunt weapons, the Kuruvadi (or Short Stick), Cheruvadi (Medium Stick), Neduvadi (Long Stick or Staff). Graduating to Sharp Weapons, starting with Kathipayattu (or Dagger), Churika (Short Sword), Valpayattu (Straight Sword), Valum Parichayum (Sword and Shield), Kundapayattu (Spear), and finally to the masterly weapon, Urmi (or Spring Sword), handed over to the son or the best disciple to carry on the tradition.