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Gatka (; ; ; ) is a form of martial art associated primarily with the Sikhs of the Punjab and other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans and Pahari-Pothwari. It is a style of stick-fighting, with waster intended to simulate . The Punjabi language name, gatka, refers to the wooden stick used and this term might have originated as a diminutive of a Sanskrit word, gada, meaning "mace".Ananda Lal, The Oxford companion to Indian theatre, Oxford University Press (2004), , p. 129.
The stick used in Gatka is made of wood and is usually long, with a thickness of around . It comes with a fitted leather hilt, and is often decorated with Punjabi clothing.
The other weapon used in the sport is a shield, natively known as phari. It is round in shape, measuring , and is made of dry leather. It is filled with either cotton or dry grass to protect the hand of player in case of full contact hit by an opponent.
Gatka originated in the Punjab in the 15th century. There has been a revival during the later 20th century, with an International Gatka Federation was founded in 1982 and formalized in 1987, and gatka is now popular as a sport or sword dance performance art and is often shown during Sikh festivals.
After the Second Anglo-Sikh War, the art was banned by the new British administrators of India in the mid-19th century. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the assisted the British in crushing the mutiny. As a consequence of this assistance, restrictions on fighting practices were relaxed, but the Punjabi martial arts which re-emerged after 1857 had changed significantly. The new style applied the sword-fighting techniques to the wooden training-stick. It was referred to as gatka, after its primary weapon. Gatka was used mainly by the British Indian Army in the 1860s as practice for hand-to-hand combat. The Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs of the Government of India has included Gatka, with three other indigenous games, namely Kalaripayattu, Huyen langlon]] and Mallakhamba, as part of the planned Khelo India Youth Games 2021, expected to be held in Haryana. This is a national sports event in India.
The IOA plans to include Gatka in the 37th National Games of India in 2023 held in Goa.
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