Wrestling in India

2021-10-09T09:05:25Z

27.104.241.63: /* Tournament records */

{{Short description|Overview of wrestling in India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{sport overview
| title = Wrestling in India
| image = Wrestling in india.jpg
| caption = United States's Kevin Ahearn and Azerbaijan's Atakishiyev Eldar at the [[2007 Military World Games]] held in [[Hyderabad]], India
| union = [[Wrestling Federation of India]]
| country =
| sport = 
| nickname = 
| first = 
| registered = 
| clubs = 
| national_list = {{ubl|[[Pro Wrestling League]]|[[Hind Kesari]]}}
| club_list = 
| intl_list = '''[[Wrestling at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Medalists]]''': [[Image:Bronze medal.svg|16px]] Bronze: [[Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav]] in [[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle bantamweight|1952]] [[Image:Bronze medal.svg|16px]] Bronze: [[Sushil Kumar (wrestler)|Sushil Kumar]] in [[Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle 66 kg|2008]] [[Image:Silver medal.svg|16px]] Silver: [[Sushil Kumar (wrestler)|Sushil Kumar]] in [[Wrestling at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle 66 kg|2012]] [[Image:Bronze medal.svg|16px]] Bronze: [[Yogeshwar Dutt]] in [[Wrestling at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle 60 kg|2012]] [[Image:Bronze medal.svg|16px]] Bronze: [[Sakshi Malik]] in [[Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics - Women's freestyle 58 kg|2016]] [[Image:Bronze medal.svg|16px]] Bronze: [[Bajrang Punia]] in [[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle 65 kg|2020]] [[Image:Silver medal.svg|16px]] Silver: [[Ravi Kumar Dahiya]] in [[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics - Men's freestyle 57 kg|2020]] '''[[Wrestling at the Asian Games|Asian Games Champions]]''' : [[File:Gold medal asia.svg|16px]] Gold: [[Yogeshwar Dutt]], [[Bajrang Punia]], [[Rajinder Singh (wrestler)|Rajinder Singh]], [[Maruti Mane]], [[Kartar Singh]] (''2 titles''), [[Chandgi Ram]], [[Satpal Singh]], [[Malwa Singh]], [[Ganpat Andhalkar]], [[Vinesh Phogat]]
| match = 
| league = 
}}
'''[[Wrestling]]''' is one of the oldest sports in India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkthroughindia.com/sports/kushtithe-indian-wrestling/ |title= Wrestling in India|access-date= 27 March 2021}}</ref> Several regional styles and variations in [[folk wrestling]] exists in the country. Indian wrestlers have won numerous medals at international competitions in [[freestyle wrestling]].

==History==
[[File:Sport and Leisure during the Second World War IND2265.jpg|thumb|Indian soldiers wrestle during [[World War II]].]]
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]], Keechaka and Balrama. 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 [[Mughal Empire|Mughal rule]] who were of [[Turko-Mongol]] descent, the influence of [[Varzesh-e Pahlavani|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. It is also called kushti in Punjab and Haryana. The wrestling in Punjab and Haryana will take place in a circular court with soft ground which in Punjabi is called an "akharha". Two wrestlers will continue to wrestle until the back of one touches the ground. The winner will parade the court with the loser following him.[10] The wrestlers are called Pehlwans who train with modern weights and traditional weights such as a Gada (mace). The aim of kushti is to wrestle the opponent and to block the other player.

==Regional variants==
[[File:Chowmahal palace (08).jpg|thumb|Sculpture of Greek wrestlers at [[Chowmahalla Palace]] in [[Hyderabad]].]]
* [[Gatta gusthi]], a [[submission wrestling]] style common in [[Kerala]].<ref>{{cite news|last=S.|first=Priyadershini|title=On the Mat|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Kochi/On-the-MAT/article14511290.ece|access-date=4 August 2021|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=27 July 2016}}</ref>
* [[Inbuan]], a traditional folk wrestling style native to [[Mizoram]].
* [[Kabaddi]], a form of [[South Asian]] folk wrestling played in teams.
* [[Kene (Naga wrestling)|Kene]], a traditional folk wrestling style native to [[Nagaland]].
* [[Malakhra]], a wrestling common in [[Sindh]] ([[Pakistan]]) and [[Gujarat]].
* [[Malla-yuddha]], oldest traditional wrestling extant in India.
* Malyutham, a folk wrestling style native to [[Tamil Nadu]].
* [[Mukna]], a form of folk wrestling native to [[Manipur]].
* [[Pehlwani]] or Kushti, a [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] style of wrestling common in [[North India]].
* [[Vajra-mushti]], a folk wrestling form which employs a fist-load weapon.

==Tournament records==
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! Competition
! Gold
! Silver
! Bronze
! Total
|-

|[[Wrestling at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]
|0
|2
|5
|7
|-
|[[World Wrestling Championship|World Championship]]
|1
|5
|14
|20
|-
|[[Wrestling at the Asian Games|Asian Games]]
|11
|14
|34
|59
|-
|[[Asian Wrestling Championship|Asian Championship]]
|23
|70
|111
|204
|-
|[[Wrestling at the Commonwealth Games|Commonwealth Games]]
|43
|37
|22
|102
|-
| Total || '''78''' || '''126''' || '''184''' || '''388'''
|-
|}

== Notable Performance at Summer Olympics ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Event !! Player !! Result
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Wrestling at the 1920 Summer Olympics|1920]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1920 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle featherweight|Men's freestyle featherweight]] || [[ Randhir Shindes ]] || '''4th'''
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Wrestling at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1948 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle flyweight|Men's freestyle flyweight]] || [[ K. D. Jadhav ]] || 6th
|-
|rowspan = "3"|[[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics|1952]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle bantamweight|Men's freestyle bantamweight]] || '''[[ K. D. Jadhav ]]'''||- style="background:#c96;" align=center| {{brca}}
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1952 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle featherweight|Men's freestyle featherweight]] || [[ Keshav Mangave ]] || '''4th'''
|-
|rowspan = "3"|[[Wrestling at the 1960 Summer Olympics|1960]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle middleweight|Men's freestyle middleweight]] || [[ Madho Singh ]] || 5th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1960 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle light heavyweight|Men's freestyle light heavyweight]] || [[ Sajan Singh ]] || 7th
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Wrestling at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1964 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle bantamweight|Men's freestyle bantamweight]] || [[ Bishambar Singh ]] || 6th
|-
|rowspan = "3"|[[Wrestling at the 1968 Summer Olympics|1968]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 52 kg|Men's freestyle 52 kg]] || [[ Sudesh Kumar ]] || 6th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1968 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 70 kg|Men's freestyle 70 kg]] || [[ Udey Chand ]] || 6th
|-
|rowspan = "3"|[[Wrestling at the 1972 Summer Olympics|1972]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 52 kg|Men's freestyle 52 kg]] || [[ Sudesh Kumar ]] || '''4th'''
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1972 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 57 kg|Men's freestyle 57 kg]] || [[ Prem Nath (wrestler)|Prem Nath ]] || '''4th'''
|-
|rowspan = "4"|[[Wrestling at the 1980 Summer Olympics|1980]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 68 kg|Men's freestyle 68 kg]] || [[ Jagmander Singh ]] || '''4th'''
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 48 kg|Men's freestyle 48 kg]] || [[ Mahabir Singh ]] || 5th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1980 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 74 kg|Men's freestyle 74 kg]] || [[ Rajinder Singh (wrestler)|Rajinder Singh ]] || 6th
|-
|rowspan = "6"|[[Wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics|1984]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 74 kg|Men's freestyle 74 kg]] || [[ Rajinder Singh (wrestler)|Rajinder Singh ]] || '''4th'''
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 57 kg|Men's freestyle 57 kg]] || [[ Rohtas Singh Dahiya ]] || 5th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 52 kg|Men's freestyle 52 kg]] || [[ Mahabir Singh ]] || 6th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 48 kg|Men's freestyle 48 kg]] || [[ Sunil Dutt (wrestler)|Sunil Dutt ]] || 7th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1984 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 90 kg|Men's freestyle 90 kg]] || [[ Kartar Singh ]] || 7th
|-
|rowspan = "3"|[[Wrestling at the 1992 Summer Olympics|1992]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 100 kg|Men's freestyle 100 kg]] || [[ Subhash Verma ]] || 6th
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's Greco-Roman 48 kg|Men's Greco-Roman 48 kg]] || [[ Pappu Yadav (wrestler)|Pappu Yadav ]] || 8th
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics|2008]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 66 kg|Men's freestyle 66 kg]] || '''[[ Sushil Kumar ]]'''||- style="background:#c96;" align=center| {{brca}}
|-
|rowspan = "3"|[[Wrestling at the 2012 Summer Olympics|2012]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 66 kg|Men's freestyle 66 kg]] || '''[[ Sushil Kumar ]]'''||- style="background:silver;" align=center| {{sica}}
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 60 kg|Men's freestyle 60 kg]] || '''[[ Yogeshwar Dutt ]]'''||- style="background:#c96;" align=center| {{brca}}
|-
|rowspan = "2"|[[Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics|2016]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Women's freestyle 58 kg|Women's freestyle 58 kg]] || '''[[ Sakshi Malik ]]'''||- style="background:#c96;" align=center| {{brca}}
|-
|rowspan = "4"|[[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics|2020]]
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 57 kg|Men's freestyle 57 kg]] || '''[[ Ravi Kumar Dahiya ]]'''||- style="background:silver;" align=center| {{sica}}
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 65 kg|Men's freestyle 65 kg]] || '''[[ Bajrang Punia ]]'''||- style="background:#c96;" align=center| {{brca}}
|-
| [[Wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 86 kg|Men's freestyle 86 kg]] || [[ Deepak Punia (wrestler)|Deepak Punia ]]|| '''4th'''
|}

==See also==
* [[Akhara]]
* [[Musti-yuddha]], India's oldest form of boxing.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Rudraneil Sengupta, 2016, [https://books.google.com/books?id=1OboDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=dangal&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8yem7icLaAhXHtY8KHeq2AgQQ6AEILjAB#v=onepage&q=dangal&f=false Enter the Dangal: Travels through India's Wrestling Landscape].
* Joseph S. Alter, 1992, [https://books.google.com/books?id=EMu1xKEWBt4C&pg=PA181&dq=dangal&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8yem7icLaAhXHtY8KHeq2AgQQ6AEITjAH#v=onepage&q=dangal&f=false The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India].
* Saurabh Duggal, 2017, [https://books.google.com/books?id=xEXVDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=dangal&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj8yem7icLaAhXHtY8KHeq2AgQQ6AEISDAG#v=onepage&q=dangal&f=false Akhada: The Authorized Biography of Mahavir Singh Phogat].

==External links==
* {{official website|http://wrestlingfederationofindia.com|Wrestling Federation of India}}

{{Wrestling in India}}
{{Sport in India}}

[[Category:Wrestling in India]]

{{India-sport-stub}}

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Wrestling in India