Angampora

Angampora

Angampora gripping technique at Korathota Angam Maduwa
Focus	Striking, Grappling
Country of origin	Sri Lanka
Famous practitioners	Ten Giant Warriors
Olympic sport	No
Meaning	Body-combat

Angampora is a Sinhalese martial art that combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise, and meditation.^[1][2] A key component of angampora is the namesake angam, which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and illangam, involving the use of indigenous weapons such as the ethunu kaduwa, staves, knives and swords.^[3][4] Another component known as maya angam, which uses spells and incantations for combat, is also said to have existed.^[5] Angampora's distinct feature lies in the use of pressure point attacks to inflict pain or permanently paralyze the opponent. Fighters usually make use of both striking and grappling techniques, and fight until the opponent is caught in a submission lock that they cannot escape. Usage of weapons is discretionary. Perimeters of fighting are defined in advance, and in some of the cases is a pit.^[5][6]

A number of paintings related to angampora are found at Buddhist temples in Sri Lanka. These include Embekka Devalaya, Gadaladeniya Rajamaha Viharaya, Temple of the Tooth, Saman Devalaya (Ratnapura) and Lankathilaka Rajamaha Viharaya.^[7][8]