Kathi Samu

"Sword fight or  Kathi Samu" is an ancient skill, mastered by the royal families & their armies of earlier period. These days this prestigious martial art remained only as a partime of those family members, who were once in the service of their Kings & the royal families who just remained as an ex symbol of their passed royalty. This is especially patronized in the native princely states where the Zamindaris or the prime areas where the Kingdoms flourished likely in the northern most coastal Andhra especially in the district of Vizianagaram. The Gajapatis of Vizianagaram have shown special interest in the promotion and retention of this skill. The ancestors of the present-day performers were great warriors, who worked in various ranks and positions in the military of the princely states / Zamindaris. Today, some of the present heirs of the great tradition train a few youngsters in the art.

The swords used for Sword Fight or Kathi samu are of various types. Along with the long curved sword, the performers use a sword also called as” Lemchi”. In general these were used in the warfare.  A shield, also called as "daal”, is used to cover themselves from the opponent’s attacks. All together it is called as "Dal Fariya”.