The Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of fighting styles.In Sanskrit they may be collectively referred to as śastravidyā or dhanurveda.
The former is a compound of the words śastra (sword, weapon) and vidyā (learning), meaning "knowledge of the sword" or "knowledge of weaponry".
The latter term derives from the words for bow (dhanushya) and knowledge (veda), literally the "science of archery" in Puranic literature, later applied to martial arts in general
The Vishnu Purana text describes dhanurveda as one of the traditional eighteen branches of "applied knowledge" or upaveda.
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