Gatka, the crowning jewel of Sikh philosophy

Gatka is a spectacular martial art rooted in the Sikh philosophy of strength and spirituality, to ‘use weapons only when all other methods have failed’, and was taught predominantly as a defensive art form to defend oneself and Dharma when the need arose.

Origins

The origin of this art dates back to the adoption of Shastra vidhiya by the first Sikh guru, Guru Nanak himself. The art then through one of Sikhism’s most primary leaders Baba Budha ji, had been passed down the next Gurus and he had also trained an army of Sikhs called Budha Dal, in gatka. Guru Gobind Singh ji, the tenth guru, is said to have been a master of this martial art, and fought with great skill and prowess in the 17th century against many Mughal attacks.

Weaponry

Gatka is an armed martial art using Shastras (weapons) in both hands to perform deft skills and requires agile footwork patterns. Among varieties of shastras such as kirpans, spears, shields and rings, swords are the most commonly used shastras in performance and combat. Wooden bamboo sticks called Soti are used during training. Panthra, or rhythmic movements that trains in coordination and balance is the first step and core of art.

Revival

With the dispersion of Sikhs around the globe and the Sikh culture having a revived global presence, the international gatka federation was established on 1987. It’s also given the status of a sport category since the establishment of the gatka federation of India, in 2008, it has been refined to a competitive sport. This organised effort by the Sikh community is to someday realise the dream to see gatka played in the Olympics arena.

Today, gatka can been seen taught to many young Sikhs, in Gurudhwaras and communities, to keep the art flourishing and many national and international gatka associations holding several leagues to encourage this sport. It is also performed, displaying flair and skill in many Sikh festivities!