“Malla Krīḍā: The next avenue of appropriation”, Brhat, 2023:

“In Hindu worldview, the body and mind are instruments which can aid one to attain to higher states of existence. Trained correctly, these can enable the individual to reach the peak of mental and physical vigor. While practices such as dhāraṇa and dhyāna bring the mind to focus, there are myriad physical practices to train the body for strength and durability. One such prominent practice is the art of malla yuddha which is practiced in an akhāḍā.

Malla krīḍā (wrestling sport) or Malla Yuddha (wrestling combat) can be said to be amongst the most ancient sports and combat techniques in the world. It is estimated to have originated in its rudimentary form in the stone age, when man needed enormous physical strength and the ability to grapple, wrestle and pin.

The earliest references to it can be found in the texts of Mahābhārata and Rāmāyaṇa, where formidable warriors such as Bheema, Duryodhana, Balarama and Keechaka were said to have been experts of this sport…….”

Read the full article at Brhat.in