Archery was known all over India from as early as Vedic period. All the heros of the epics, Ramayana and Mahabharatha, were skilled archers. In Tamilnadu, the art was well developed during the Chola period. Stone inscriptions dating back to 1009 prove the existence of archery in Tamilnadu from ancient days. This art today is more a competition of hitting the target rather than a combat against another.