girl-museum:

Unniyarcha was a legendary warrior from the Vadakkan Paattu, a collection of Malayalam folklore from Kerala in South India. She was trained in Kalaripayattu, the original form of martial arts that originated in Kerala in approximately 1000 BCE and fought with an ‘Urumi’, or ‘flexible sword’. Unniyarcha was threatened by a group of Moplah (members of the Muslim community of Kerala) while travelling through a forest and challenged them to a duel. The legend goes that she was so well trained that she won the duel and slaughtered her attackers single handedly, causing the Moplah Chief to seek her forgiveness with gifts. Throughout the period that followed, Unniyarcha was said to have rescued other women from her village who had been kidnapped by the Moplah.

The 1961 film Unniyarcha and the subsequent 2002 film Puthooramputhri Unniyarcha have further immortalised her character and ensured that she is regarded as a strong and fearless warrior in the folklore of Kerala.