Indonesian martial arts Indonesian martial arts Indonesian martial arts refers to the variety of fighting systems native to or developed in the archipelago of Indonesia, both the age-old traditional arts, and the more recently developed hybrid combatives. In the Indonesian language the term "bela-diri" (lit. self-defense) is used to mean martial art, and in essence the Indonesian fighting arts are meant as one's defence against perceived threat and assault. Other than physical training, they often include spiritual aspects to cultivate inner strength, inner peace and higher psychological ends. Today, Indonesian fighting styles are synonymous with pencak silat. Indeed, the term was coined as
Ratu Adil Diponegoro, Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, Tjokroaminoto, President Sukarno and Dutch military officer Raymond Westerling. Later, a Dutch-Indonesian Pencak Silat pioneer, Rudy Terlinden, gave his pencak silat style the name of Ratu Adil. In his believe the Javanese mythology of Ratu Adil is christened as Jesus Christ. Ratu Adil The Ratu Adil, literally meaning "Just King", is a messianic figure found in Indonesian folklore, more precisely in Javanese tradition. It is believed that he (or she) will establish universal peace and justice in the manner of similar figures, such as King Arthur in European folklore. The Ratu Adil is first mentioned in