Asian_Geographic_PASSPORT_-_Year_2016_-_2017

60 HERITAGE

5000 8th– 1900 s 2000 s

16th

17th–

18th

2020

5th

Some claim that

kushti was born

as malla-yuddha

before the Indo-

Aryan invasion,

but there is

no evidence

to support an

exact date.

There are very

few records on

the origins of

this sport.

Kushti enters

its golden era,

with wrestlers

revered across

the subcontinent

and tournaments

attracting

crowds and

powerful people.

By the late 18th

century, the

colonisation

of India brings

about a decline

of traditional

kushti, which

colonial parties

see as a barbaric

form of fighting.

Malla-yuddha

evolves and is

standardised

across South

Asia.

Women start

to participate

and compete

in kushti

tournaments.

In 2008, Sushil

Kumar wins a

bronze at the

Beijing Olympic

Games. Two

years later, he

wins a gold

at the World

Wrestling

Championship;

in 2012, he

wins a silver

at the London

Olympic Games.

He is currently

the only Indian

individual with

two Olympic

medals.

WHEN

Any time is good to see kushti, but

scorching summers are best avoided.

WHERE

Haryana is the state adjacent to the

Indian capital, New Delhi. The best

way to get there is by taxi or by bus. It

shouldn’t take more than an hour and a

half, depending on how bad the traffic

is. Once there, to find an akhara you will

need a guide who knows the countryside.

Alternatively, there are also akharas in

Delhi, which may not be as exotic, but will

provide easier access. Competitions are

held with very short notice.

HOW

The best places to see kushti are either

in Haryana or Kolhapur in Maharashtra

state. Get out of the big cities and ask

around in small towns. An akhara or a

dangal may be just around the corner!

EXPERIENCE

KUSHTI

years ago century BC

century AD centuries

Kushti is

influenced

by elements

of Mongolian

wrestling. In the

16th century, the

creation of the

Mughal Empire

merges practices

from Persian

wrestling to

produce modern

kushti, where

biting, punching

and kicking are

not allowed.

The legend of

kushti fighter

Gama, a Muslim

who protected

Hindus, and the

need to revive

pre-colonial

culture, brings

kushti back to

life. In 1952,

Khashaba

Dadasaheb

Jadhav earns a

bronze medal

in Helsinki’s

Olympic Games,

The Evolution of Kushti

Divya Kakran will attempt to

become the first female Indian

kushti fighter to earn a medal

at the Olympics in Tokyo

becoming the

first Indian

athlete to win

a medal in

wrestling. By

1962, Indian

wrestlers

participate in

the fourth Asian

Games, earning

12 medals in

free-style and

the Greco-

Roman style.

HARYANA

INDIA

New Delhi

© Shutterstock/Prerna Chaudhary

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