 | ||
Governing body Wrestling Federation of India | ||
Considered one of the most ancient and oldest sports in the world, wrestling in India has a glorious past.
History
Wrestling has been popular in India since ancient times, it was mainly an exercise to stay physically fit. The wrestlers, traditionally, use to wear a loincloth, langota. In Ancient India wrestling was most famously known as Malla-yuddha. One of the premier characters in Mahabharata, Bhima was considered to be a great wrestler of the time, and some of the other great wrestlers included Jarasandha, Duryodhan and Karna. In the other Indian epic, Ramayana also mentions wrestling in India and Hanuman is described as one of the greatest wrestlers of his time.
During the Muhgal rule who were of Turko-Mongol descent, the influence of Iranian and Mongolian wrestling were incorporated to the local Malla-yuddha to form the modern Pehlwani.
Wrestling in India is also known as dangal, and it is the basic form of a wrestling tournament.