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{{short description|Blunt mace or club from India}}
{{infobox weapon
| name = Gada
| image =File:Mace MET sfsb36.149.3 002.jpg
| caption = An example of a 17th century [[Indo-Persian culture|Indo-Persian]] gada, made from steel and gold, {{convert|26.5|in|cm}} long. [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]]
| origin = [[Indian subcontinent]]

| type = Club / mace
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| filling = 11 things
| filling_weight = 13m to 17m
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The '''gada''' ([[Sanskrit]]: गदा ''gadā'', [[Kannada language|Kannada]]: ''ಗದೆ'', [[Telugu language|Telugu]]: ''గద'', [[Tamil language|Tamil]]: ''கதை'', [[Malay language|Malay]]: ''gedak'', [[Old Tagalog]]: ''batuta'') is a mallet or blunt mace from the [[Indian subcontinent]]. Made either of wood or metal, it consists essentially of a spherical head mounted on a shaft, with a spike on the top. Outside India, the gada was also adopted in [[Southeast Asia]], where it is still used in [[silat]]. The weapon might have Indo-Iranian origins as [[Old Persian]] also uses the word ''gadā'' to mean club; see for example the etymology of [[Pasargadae]].

The gada is the main weapon of the Hindu God [[Hanuman]]. Known for his strength, Hanuman is traditionally worshipped by wrestlers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. [[Vishnu]] also carries a gada named [[Kaumodaki]] in one of his four hands.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gada, The Mace of Vishnu. Some refer to me by the name "Kaumodaki"|url=https://sites.google.com/site/weaponsofindiangods/gada-the-mace-of-vishnu|url-status=live}}</ref> In the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]'', the fighters [[Balarama]], [[Bhima]], [[Duryodhana]], [[Jarasandha]] and others were said to be masters of the gada.

==Gada-yuddha==
{{Unreferenced section|date=September 2022}}
[[File:Hanuman in Terra Cotta.jpg|thumb|200px|Sculpture of [[Hanuman]] carrying the Dronagiri ([[Sanjeevani (plant)|Sanjeevi]]) mountain, with a gada in his left hand.]]

The [[martial art]] of wielding the gada is known as '''gada-yuddha'''. It can either be wielded singly or in pairs, and can be handled in twenty different ways. Various gada-yuddha techniques are mentioned in the [[Agni Purana]] and [[Mahabharata]] such as {{transl|hi|aahat}} (आहत), {{transl|hi|prabrita}} (प्रभृत), {{transl|hi|kamalasan}} (कमलासन), {{transl|hi|oordhvargatra}} (ऊर्ध्वगत्र), {{transl|hi|namita}} (नमित), {{transl|hi|vaamadakshina}} (वामदक्षिण), {{transl|hi|aavritta}} (आवृत्त), {{transl|hi|paraavritta}} (परावृत्त), {{transl|hi|padoddhrita}} (पदोद्धृत), {{transl|hi|avaplata}} (अवप्लत), {{transl|hi|hansmaarga}} (हंसमार्ग) and {{transl|hi|vibhaag}} (विभाग).

==Exercise equipment==
The gada is one of the traditional pieces of training equipment in Hindu physical culture, and is common in the {{transl|hi|[[akhara]]}} of north India. Maces of various weights and heights are used depending on the strength and skill level of the practitioner. It is believed that Lord Hanuman's gada was the largest amongst all the gadas in the world. For training purposes, one or two wooden gada ({{transl|hi|[[mudgar]]}}) are swung behind the back in several different ways and is particularly useful for building grip strength and shoulder endurance. [[The Great Gama]] was known for extensive use of gada. Winners in a [[pehlwani|kushti]] contest are often awarded with a gada.{{Cn|date=July 2021}}

[[File:Indian wrestler exercising. 1973.JPG|thumb|Indian wrestler exercising|288x288px]]

[[Hojo undō#Chi Ishi|Chi'ishi]], a [[karate]] conditioning equipment and its exercise pattern was inspired by the {{transl|hi|gada}} and {{transl|hi|mugdar}}. The war mallets were also inspired by gada.<ref>[http://www.ihpra.org/war_clubs.htm Club History]</ref>

== In Southeast Asia ==
Gada has also been adopted by practitioners of silat martial arts in the [[Malay world|Malay World]]. In Indonesia the word "gada" has broadened to refer to any impact weapons that are not a simple club, like [[Mace (bludgeon)|mace]], [[Morning star (weapon)|morning star]], and [[flail]]. However, several ethnic groups of Indonesia have their own version of gada. Traditional Indonesian gada generally shaped more like Persian ''meel'' club than Indian gada. This is because the iron used to make gada in pre-modern Indonesia, called ''besi khurasani'', was imported from [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]]. Local gada is often coated in an alloy called ''besi kuning'', which is believed to possess magical power.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wiyono|first=Al Sugeng|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wjbWAAAAMAAJ&q=wesi+kuning|title=Tosan aji: jimat ngucap, pusaka kandha : refleksi jati diri|date=2001|publisher=BP Kedaulatan Rakyat|language=id}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Mace (bludgeon)]]

{{Indian martial arts}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Weapons in Hindu mythology]]
[[Category:Indian melee weapons]]
[[Category:Weapons of India]]
[[Category:Clubs (weapon)]]

Gada (mace) - Revision history

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