Pencak silat Gadjah Putih is a specific system of martial arts originating in West Java, Indonesia.  It is characterized by a low solid base, conservative hand positions close to the body, powerful elbow strikes, intercepting/grabbing the attacking hands and elbows, joint locks, and counter-lock evasion. The preferred weapon is the golok and is atypically held backwards along the forearm to accentuate the elbow strikes.

This style of pencak silat was founded by the Maha Guru “AJI” (GADJAH PUTIH or White Elephant) of Garut in West Java in the early 1950’s.  The last grandmaster of the system –  Maha Guru Besar Bapak A. Wajihaddin – passed away in early 2012.  The elements of the style consist of 25 jurus (movements/forms), 10 pernafasan (breathing forms), 9 langkah (extended forms), and a wide variety of two-person training drills.

Although it is a relatively rare “village” martial art, Maha Guru Roedy Wiranatakusumah has disseminated Gadjah Putih in several different countries, including Venezuela, the USA, and Canada.

The distintive langkah (in this case, footwork) play an important role in coordinating the technical purpose and penetration of the jurus. Breaking, twisting, a variety of elbow and take-down techniques with the aid of body weight combined with agile movements mark this style distinctively from other silat styles. The body conditioning usually is done through breathing exercises which build the inner strength (rasa) and sharpen the five senses.

Initial training in Gadjah Putih is built upon the core set of jurus (forms). Each is learned in strict form, performed as a free form dance kembangan (flower), and applied as a practical technique buah (fruit).

 

The name Gadjah Putih translates as “white elephant”where the elephant symbolizes a useful or productive creature that handles great loads with strength and responsibility.  The color white symbolizes purity.  Mega Paksi Pusaka is the root practice of the Gadjah Putih system – its name refers to its foundational nature “augment axis legacy”.