Mukna
Meitei folk wrestling from Manipur, India: grip the ningri belt, and win by putting the opponent's back on the ground.
Quick Facts
IndiaCharacter & Origin
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
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About Mukna
Mukna is a folk wrestling style from the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, practised by the Meitei, mainly in the districts of Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur. Wrestlers grip a belt called the ningri; grabbing the head, hair, ears or legs with the hands is not allowed, and any strike counts as a foul. The winner is whoever puts the opponent's back on the ground, and a bout is also lost if any part of the body other than the feet touches the ground. Pairs are formed according to weight categories. Wrestling is not a standalone spectacle but part of a ceremony: it is typically held on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival, which the Meitei dedicate to pre-Christian deities, and it also appears in its local forms, Kakching Haraoba and Chakpa Haraoba. Tradition traces the origin of mukna to the Puya manuscripts, namely Leithal, Leikharol and Pudin, which place it as far back as the creation of the world; since no historically verified date is available, the fields for the founding year and founder are left blank in this record. Closely related to mukna is the game Mukna Kangjei, in which the wrestling grip is combined with a stick and a ball, and which is one of Manipur's characteristic sports. Today mukna is held as a state-level competition and is counted among Manipur's traditional sports.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.