🤼 Wrestling – Kushti/Pehlwani

📖 Origin & History

Wrestling, or Kushti/Pehlwani, has been practiced in India since ancient times, mentioned in the Mahabharata (Bhima vs Jarasandha) and other epics. Traditional Indian wrestling is performed in an akhada, with wrestlers called pehlwans, who train with strict discipline in diet and physical exercise. Over time, modern freestyle wrestling also developed and India has produced many international champions.

💡 Did You Know?

🏋️ Pehlwans follow a vegetarian high-protein diet like milk, ghee, and almonds.

📜 Ancient texts like Manasollasa (12th century) describe wrestling techniques.

🥇 India’s first Olympic medal in wrestling came in 1952 (K.D. Jadhav).

⛳ Wrestling bouts traditionally take place on mud pits, not mats.

🔁 Evolution

Vedic Age — Wrestling was part of martial training in kingdoms.

Medieval India — Mughals introduced Persian styles, blending into Pehlwani.

British Era — Kushti gained patronage in royal courts and rural India.

Modern Era — India shines in freestyle wrestling at the Olympics and world stage.

🧩 How It’s Played

Two wrestlers compete to pin the opponent’s shoulders to the ground.
In Kushti, matches are fought on mud grounds with oil applied to the body.
In freestyle wrestling, matches are on mats, using point-based scoring.
Victory can be by pin (fall), technical superiority, or points.

🤼 Wrestling – Kushti/Pehlwani

📖 Origin & History

💡 Did You Know?

🔁 Evolution

🧩 How It’s Played

🎯 Quick Quiz

Who won India’s first Olympic medal in wrestling?