thumb|Pendekar [[Paul De Thouars]]
Pendekar (hero; master of swordsmanship or martial arts), Pandikar or Pandeka is a Malay word to reference or address a warrior who mastered martial arts, particularly silat. Not all masters carry the title; it must be either officially bestowed by royalty (similar to a knighthood) or unofficially by commonfolk. The latter is more common today, especially outside Southeast Asia. Today, the title is often adopted by the founder of a new style. Parallels can be drawn to the chess term grandmaster since the title of Pandeka is the highest possible rank of a practitioner of the Malaysian martial art silat.
Etymology
Some theorize that it is a compound of the Malay words pandai, meaning clever or skilled, and akar meaning root. It may be related to the Kawi terms upakara which means teacher, and kekarepan which means ethos or ambition. A variant of pendekar is the word pakar which can mean any kind of expert.
Attributes of a pendekar
A pendekar must master every aspect of silat. These include the forms and techniques, their combat application, internal methods and traditional medicine. A pendekar must be more than an instructor or expert, they must be a fighter, a traditional doctor, and a participant in the culture and wisdom of silat. The emphasis given to each of these varies from one style to another. Some systems are more sport-oriented while others focus on spiritual development. Traditional masters only consider a style to be "true silat" if it can be used in battle.
Meditation and internal training serves as a counterbalance for a warrior's martial skills. In northern Malaysia and southern Thailand, this balance is symbolised by the concept of jantan betina (male-female), equivalent to the Chinese yin and yang.