Malla-yuddha

Malla-yuddha

Focus	Grappling
Hardness	Full contact
Country of origin	North India
Parenthood	Historic
Olympic sport	No

Malla-yuddha (Devanagari: मल्लयुद्ध)^[1] is the traditional form of wrestling in South Asia,^[2] closely related to various Southeast Asian wrestling styles.

According to the techniques and methodology used, Indian wrestling is divided in four types: Hanumanti concentrates on technical superiority, Jambuvanti uses locks and holds to force the opponent into submission, Jarasandhi concentrates on breaking the limbs and joints while Bhimaseni focuses on sheer strength.^[3]

Name

Sanskrit mallayuddha literally translate to "boxing match", and is strictly speaking the term for a single pugilistic encounter or prize-fight rather than for a style or school of wrestling. It is a tatpurusha compound of malla "wrestler, boxer; athlete" and yuddha "fight, battle, conflict". The compound is first attested in the Mahabharata referring to boxing matches such as those fought by Bhima. The Sanskrit term was loaned into Tamil as மல்யுத்தம் malyutham. Another term for a wrestling match or for athletic sports more generally is mallakrīḍa, the second element krīḍa "sport, play, pastime, amusement" implying a more limited-contact style of folk wrestling.

The term malla is in origin a proper name, among other things of an asura, known as mallāsura and the name of a tribe mentioned in the Mahabharata. In the Manusmriti (10.22; 12.45), it is the technical term for the offspring of an out-caste Kshatriya by a Kshatriya female who was previously the wife of another out-caste.

History

The first attestation of the term mallayuddha is found in the Mahabharata epic, in the context of the wrestling match between Bhima and Jarasandha.^[4] Other early literary descriptions of wrestling matches include the story of Balarama, and the Ramayana's account of the vanara king Vali ^{[disambiguation needed]} defeating Ravana, the king of Lanka, in a wrestling contest.

The Manasollasa of the Chalukya king Somesvara III (1124-1138) is a royal treatise on fine arts and leisure. The chapter entitled "Malla Vinod" describes the classification of wrestlers into types by age, size and strength. It also outlines how the wrestlers were to exercise and what they were to eat. In particular the king was responsible for providing the wrestlers with pulses, meat, milk, sugar as well as "high-class sweets". The wrestlers were kept isolated from the women of the court and were expected to devote themselves to building their bodies. The Manasollasa gives the names of moves and exercises but does not provide descriptions.^[1]

The Malla Purana is a Kula Purana associated with the Jyesthimalla, a Brahmin jāti of wrestlers from Gujarat, dating most likely to the 13th century. It categorizes and classifies types of wrestlers, defines necessary physical characteristics, describes types of exercises and techniques of wrestling as well as the preparation of the wrestling pit, and provides a fairly precise account of which foods wrestlers should eat in each season of the year.^[1]

Traditional Indian wrestling began to decline from the 16th century under Mughal rule, as courtly fashion favoured the Persianate Pehlwani style. Indigenous wrestling traditions survived mostly in South India.

Training

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2009)

In Indian wrestling, vyayam or physical training is meant to build strength and develop muscle bulk and flexibility. Exercises that employ the wrestler's own bodyweight include the Surya Namaskara, shirshasan, bethak (Hindu squat) and the dand (Hindu press up), which are also found in hatha yoga, as well as the bethak.

Exercise regimens may also employ the following weight training devices:

• The nal is a hollow stone cylinder with a handle inside.
• The gar nal (neck weight) is a circular stone ring worn around the neck to add resistance to squats and press ups.
• The gada is a club or mace associated with Hanuman. An exercise gada is a heavy round stone attached to the end of a meter-long bamboo stick.

Training may also include dhakuli which involve twisting rotations, rope climbing, log pulling and running. Traditional massage is regarded an integral part of an Indian wrestler's exercise regimen.

See also

• Indian martial arts
• Pakistani martial arts
• Malyutham
• Mukna
• Niyuddha-kride
• Pehlwani
• Vajra Mushti
• Khmer traditional wrestling
• Naban

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Alter, Joseph S. (August 1992b). The Wrestler's Body: Identity and Ideology in North India. Berkeley: University of California Press. 
2. ^ Alter, Joseph S. (May 1992a). "the sannyasi and the Indian wrestler: the anatomy of a relationship". American Ethnologist 19 (2): 317–336. doi:10.1525/ae.1992.19.2.02a00070. ISSN 0094-0496. 
3. ^ Tracing the journey of the martial art forms of India, Global Adjustments magazine, September 2007.^{[unreliable source?]}
4. ^ Alter, Joseph S. (May 1992a). "The "sannyasi" and the Indian Wrestler: The Anatomy of a Relationship". American Ethnologist 19 (2): 317–336. doi:10.1525/ae.1992.19.2.02a00070. ISSN 00940496. 

External links

• Martial arts of India by R. Venkatachalam (1999)