Silambam Asia where silambam greatly influenced many fighting systems. The Indian community of the Malay Peninsula is known to have practiced silambam as far back as the period of Melaka's founding in the 15th century, and likely much earlier. The soldiers of Kings Puli Thevar, Dheeran Chinnamalai had Silambam army named "thadii pattalam", Veerapandiya Kattabomman and Maruthu Pandiyar (1760–1799) relied mainly on their Silambam prowess in their warfare against the British Army. Indian martial arts suffered a decline after the British colonists banned Silambam along with various other systems. They also introduced modern western military training which favoured fire-arms over traditional
Mardani khel impress Pulakeshin's gladiators. Mardani khel began its rise to prominence during the early 1600s when the Deccan sultanates relied on the guerilla tactics of Maratha units led by Shahaji. His son Shivaji Raje Bhosale learned the art of fighting from a young age and by his adolescence was already proficient in the use of various arms. His weapon of choice was a 4-foot sword named Bhawani. At the age of 17, Shivaji took advantage of the chaotic affairs of the Deccan and subverted Bijapuri authority to strike it out on his own. The Maratha community, once scattered across the Deccan,