| Gada | |
|---|---|
 An example of a 17th centuryIndo-Persian gada, made from steel and gold, 26.5 inches (67 cm) long.Metropolitan Museum of Art | |
| Type | Club /Mace |
| Place of origin | Indian subcontinent |
| Specifications | |
Thegada (Sanskrit: गदाgadā,Kannada:ಗದೆ,Telugu:గద,Tamil:கதை,Malay:gedak,Old Tagalog:batuta) is a mallet or bluntmace from theIndian subcontinent. Made either of wood or metal, it consists essentially of a spherical head mounted on a shaft, with a spike on the top. Outside India, the gada was also adopted inSoutheast Asia, where it is still used insilat. The weapon might haveIndo-Iranian origins,Old Persian also uses the wordgadā to mean club, as seen in the etymology ofPasargadae.
The gada is the main weapon of the Hindu GodHanuman. Known for his strength, Hanuman is traditionally worshipped by wrestlers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.Vishnu also carries a gada namedKaumodaki in one of his four hands.[1] In the epicMahabharata, the fightersBalarama,Duryodhana,Bhima,Karna,Shalya,Jarasandha and others were said to be masters of the gada.[2]
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Themartial art of wielding the gada is known asgada-yuddha. It can either be wielded singly or in pairs, and can be handled in twenty different ways. Various gada-yuddha techniques are mentioned in theAgni Purana andMahabharata such asaahat (आहत),prabrita (प्रभृत),kamalasan (कमलासन),oordhvargatra (ऊर्ध्वगत्र),namita (नमित),vaamadakshina (वामदक्षिण),aavritta (आवृत्त),paraavritta (परावृत्त),padoddhrita (पदोद्धृत),avaplata (अवप्लत),hansmaarga (हंसमार्ग) andvibhaag (विभाग).
The gada is used in the Indian martial artKalaripayattu.[3]
The gada is one of the traditional pieces of training equipment in Hindu physical culture, and is common in theakhara of north India. Maces of various weights and heights are used depending on the strength and skill level of the practitioner. It is believed that Lord Hanuman's gada was the largest amongst all the gadas in the world. For training purposes, one or two wooden gada (mudgar) are swung behind the back in several different ways and is particularly useful for building grip strength and shoulder endurance.The Great Gama was known for extensive use of gada. Winners in akushti contest are often awarded with a gada.[citation needed]
Chi'ishi, akarate conditioning equipment and its exercise pattern was inspired by thegada andmudgar.[citation needed] The war mallets were also inspired by gada.[4]
Gada is used by practitioners ofsilat martial arts in theMalay world.[5] In Indonesia the meaning of "gada" has been expanded to refer to other impact weapons including themace, themorning star, and theflail. However, several ethnic groups of Indonesia have their own version of gada. Traditional Indonesian gada are generally shaped more like Persianmeel club than Indian gada. This is because the iron used to make gada in pre-modern Indonesia, calledbesi khurasani, was imported fromKhorasan. Local gada are often coated in an alloy calledbesi kuning, which is believed to possess magical power.[6]
| Martial arts and combat sports | |
|---|---|
| Weapons | |
| Related terms | |
