We bought tickets for the Kalaripayattu martial arts show in Thekkady from the official ticket booth for 200 rupees each (£2.12).
The seating was similar to a boxing ring, but with a pit and seats on a second level so everyone had a good view of the fighting.
It was pretty good; there was a lot of gymnastics to it, but it was very much a demonstration of Kalaripayattu rather than actual fights. It was quite impressive that they could fight off a knife attack using a twig or a rope.
At the end of the show, they persuaded some of the audience to lean over while they took running jumps over them, and they jumped through hoops of fire. You could also get your picture taken with the fighters if you wanted to. You can watch a video of the martial arts show on my YouTube channel:
Diary of a middle-aged backpacker 