Paika Akhada / The Glory of Kalinga

Paika is the traditional martial arts or warrior group developed within the area of ancient Kalinga kingdom in Odisha State. It’s still active around Bhubaneshwar, the State capital, Khurda, and Puri.
The word "Paika" is derived from Sanskrit's "padatika (footman)" means infantry, and Akhada means training arena or school.
The Paika warriors worked as a peasant in peacetime who also maintains social security as police under the rule of the King. Besides, they train themselves in the military gymnasium called Akhada regularly, for participating war as a volunteer soldier.
Paika's military system consists of three classes:
Pahari with swords and shield, Banua leading the army during the expedition, and Dhenkiya, the archer of the bow and arrow.
Then the whole troops were led by the specific Kshatriya group Khandayat during the march.
The king gave them various privileges, such as tax exemptions and subsidies. They were a unique group united in its identity as a Paika and boasted a hidden power in each region.


Demonstration of Paikak Akhada, Puri Orissa

The weapon items used in the existing Paika start with a bamboo (or cane) stick for practice, a straight sword called khanda, a straight sword with a guard that covers from the middle of the forearm to the fist called dand patta, its bamboo mock sword that sounds like Maracas when wielded, a Tarwar curved sword common in all over India and its 3m giant version, a mukdal Indian club introduced in the page of Kushti, a huge weight bar combined with chain, and so on.
Before, it must be the integral martial system of the land like Kalarippayattu in Kerala, but its popularity is declining at all and just standing on the edge of abandonment.
Some school or team is still in action, but its appearance looks like a martial dance rather than fighting system these days.
However, they are the descendant of the Kalinga warriors, who resisted in the all or nothing war against King Ashoka's aggression in the historically famous Kalinga campaign, and after Ashoka died, established King Kharavela of the Chedi dynasty, prevailing the power from the North India area to even Southeast Asia.
Still now, in Malaysia, Indians are called Kaling in the local language, they have once been the champion of southern Asia.
Even if it only looks like "dance" now, they must have brave nature and rich talents in the military and martial arts field.
I was interested in such peculiarities of Kalinga and searched deep inside its history.
A number of dynasties were raised and fell in Kalinga after the Chedi era.
The foundation of the Paika Akara was developed in the 15th and 16th centuries against surrounding Muslim powers when the Gajapatis ruled a vast area from South Bengal to the north bank of Kaveri river in Tamil Nadu.
It was said that the son of the local lord, Ramachandradeva I, who had been in the field at one time by rebellion against authority, recovered its power and established Bhoi dynasty In Khurdha which is located west of the present state capital city Bhubaneswar with the help of Paika warriors(!) in 1572. Then Khurdha fortress was built at the foot of the Barunei hill located in the south of the city to controll the surrounding area.
The Bhoi dynasty, who stands on the Khurda Fort last for 231 years up to 1803 while the entire Orissa was haunted by the aggression of the Muslims such as the Mughal Empire and then the Maratha army. Of course, there is no doubt that the mighty Paikas power was behind such stronghold.
In 1803 the British East India Company, which ruled even the Mughals who used to be the Emperor of India, make it "under the protection" and put almost all the Indian subcontinent in their hands, started a great campaign against Bhoi territories to conquer it.
The resistance Indian army constituted by Maratha and the Paika of Orissa was extremely intense.
However, it was not enemy to the British army that overwhelms in the military powers, Maratha forces who gather in Kathak fell at first. Orissa forces were besieged in the last fortress of Khurda and challenged the final battle, but finally fell down after three-weeks struggle.
Here, the British colonization of India was completed.
But the hot-blooded fighting spirit of Paika was never dead.
Having established control over Orissa, the British gathered Indian bureaucrats from other states and suppressed the social rights of the Odisha people by the infamous "indirect rule".
The hatred against the Orissa people especially Paikas who continued to resist until the very end was very strong, and the British policy of governance over them became relentless.
It is clear for the British side that the presence of the Paika was the main source of the resistance forces against them.
The colonial administrators thought that "It is essential to completely invalidate the Paikas for establishing the rule over the land."
They deprived the various social privileges of the Paika people that had been recognized socially, deprived the farmland that was given by the king, chased down them to the tenant farmers, and imposed a heavy taxes upon them as a final blow.
The dissatisfaction of people was accumulating its power like a simmering magma deep underground, and finally, the time had come to explode.
The rebels formed by volunteers, including Paika, suddenly arisen all at once on April 1, 1817, just 13 years after the fall of the Khurda fort.
The Paika's army, led by the last Bhoi commander-chief Baxi Jagbandhu, was the main force to invade the center of the city of Khurda, expelled the British army after the fierce battle, succeeded to recapture Khurda fort on the 4th April.
The Indian revolt that gained momentum spread like the flames to major cities in the surrounding area, killing many British soldiers and their collaborators.
But the British, which proclaimed wartime martial law, gathered forces from various places, and finally, on April 17, Khurda Fort fell again, and the British army put down the rebels.
But Paika's resistance did not end here either.
The remnant forces, mainly Paikas lead by chief Baxi Jagbandhu, fled to the surrounding mountainous areas and fought a guerrilla war for eight years.
In order to eliminate guerrillas, British used not only military action but also all sorts of means, such as putting a bounty on a major leader or taking their family as a hostage, but it was not successful to wipe them out.
Reluctantly, British sent the royal family as the envoy with exchanging condition of giving pardon to make guerrillas surrender. Then finally on May 27th in 1825, the whole guerrillas stopped resistance and got off the mountain, and here the long-lasting battle of the Paikas history was quietly closed.
However, even with the British military power, which was the strongest in the world at the time, it was not possible to fully capture the Paika's forces!
I deeply respect their fighting ability with the spirit of defiance and fortitude against the colonial authority.
When I had finished following the turbulent road that they walked through, I couldn't stop a shudder run through my body.

Performers of Paika Akhada / Puri

Possibly after the rebellion, Paika was subjected to further thorough oppression by the British colonial government and was under strict surveillance. The mighty power was removed from the very roots and allowed to survive only as mere sports and cultural recreation.
There was the exact reason based on the history of why their present appearance almost lost practical martial arts aspect.
When we looked at the performance of the Paika again after knowing such history, who can claim like "only a martial dance" and so on?
Today, Khurda Fort is recognized as the last fort of free India that fell in 1804 and is honored as the first fort of the Indian independence war against British that took place in 1817, based on its historical facts. And the tradition of the Paika Akara is getting public attention as the symbol of Indian glorious spirit.
Before, it was generally described in the textbooks that the dawn of the Indian independence struggle was the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857 (recently the Indian Great Rebellion or  First War of Independence). 
But after deep research and reconsideration, Paika Rebellion in 1817 has been reviewed as if it was the true opening of the Independence War.
The role that the Paika Warrior has played in Indian history and its incredible spirit should never be forgotten.
I hope it will be protected as cultural heritage by the government and other public assistance to be inherited forever.

Refference: Paika akhada-Wikipedia  Paika Rebellion-Wikipedia  History of Campus :: Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar  Paika Rebellion of Odisha







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