| Urumi | |
|---|---|
 A pair of multi-bladed Sri Lankan ethunu kaduwa wielded by an Angampora practitioner | |
| Type | Sword |
| Place of origin | Kerala, India |
| Specifications | |
| Length | approx. 122–168 cm (48–66 in) |
An urumi is an Indian sword with a flexible, whip-like blade.[1] Originating in modern-day Kerala, a state in southwestern India, it is thought to have existed from as early as the Sangam period.
It is treated as a whip sword, made with special combination of steel [2] and therefore requires prior knowledge of whip as well as the sword. For this reason, the urumi is always taught last in Indian martial arts such as Kalaripayattu.
The word urumi is used to refer to the weapon in Malayalam. In Kerala, it is also called chuttuval, from the Malayalam words for "coiling," or "spinning," (chuttu) and "sword" (val).[2] Alternatively, Tamil names for the weapon are surul katti (coiling knife), surul val (coiling sword) and surul pattakatti (coiling machete). In Sinhala, it is known as ethunu kaduwa.
- ^ Devnath, Vinay (2016-07-09). "10 Deadly Weapons That Originated In India". Storypick. Retrieved 2021-12-06.
- ^ a b Saravanan, T. (January 14, 2005). "Valorous Sports Metro Plus Madurai". The Hindu. Archived from the original on January 28, 2007.