Silambam weaponry. During this time, Silambam became more common in Southeast Asia than its native India where it was banned by the British rulers. The ban was lifted after India achieved independence. Today, Silambam is the most famous and widely practiced Indian martial art in Malaysia where demonstrations are held for cultural shows. Silambam's main focus is on the bamboo staff. The length of the staff depends on the height of the practitioner. Ideally, it should just touch the forehead about three fingers from the head, typically measuring around 1.68 metres (five and a half feet). Different lengths may be used
India part of a tradition dating back some 5,000 years; gemstones are also worn in India as talismans. In India, several traditional indigenous sports remain fairly popular, such as "kabaddi", "kho kho", "pehlwani" and "gilli-danda". Some of the earliest forms of Asian martial arts, such as "kalarippayattu", "musti yuddha", "silambam", and "marma adi", originated in India. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India as "chaturaṅga", is regaining widespread popularity with the rise in the number of Indian grandmasters. "Pachisi", from which parcheesi derives, was played on a giant marble court by Akbar. The improved results garnered by the Indian Davis