Varma kalai (
Tamil:
varmakkalai,
Malayalam:
marmakkala,
Sinhala:
maru kalā,
Telugu:
marmavidyakaḷa,
Sanskrit:
marmavidya) is a
Indian term meaning "art of vital points". It is a component of traditional massage, medicine, and
martial arts in which the body's pressure points (
varma or
marma) are manipulated to heal or cause harm. The healing application called
vaidhiya murai is used in
ayurveda and
siddha medicine (
siddha vaidyam) to treat patients suffering from paralysis, nervous disorder, spondylitis and other conditions. Its combat application is known as
varma adi or
marma adi meaning "pressure-point striking", and can be done either empty-handed or with a blunt weapon such as a stick or staff. Usually taught as an advanced stage of Indian fighting systems, strikes are targeted at the nerves, veins, tendons, organs and bone joints.