Mukna
Traditional wrestling from the Indian state of Manipur, associated with the Lai Haraoba festival. Sports Authority of India teaches it at two indigenous games centres.
Quick Facts
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Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
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Catalogs & Databases for Mukna
About Mukna
Mukna is a traditional wrestling form from the Indian state of Manipur. According to English Wikipedia, mukna is popular in Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur and is usually wrestled on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival. It says Meitei tradition derives the origin of mukna from the Puya manuscripts, but there is no historical date of its origin. According to Wikipedia, wrestlers hold each other by the ningri belt. The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games, by contrast, calls ningri a loincloth and names the belt khamen chatpa. According to both sources, strikes are forbidden and whoever touches the ground with any part of the body other than the feet loses. A parliamentary answer in the Lok Sabha (AU3883) lists mukna as a discipline of two centres of the Indigenous Games and Martial Arts programme, which Sports Authority of India runs in Manipur. The daily Assam Tribune wrote about the first state competition Mukna Takhatnaba in Imphal, organised under the All Manipur Mukna Association, where Chief Minister N Biren Singh called mukna a dying indigenous sport.
History
English Wikipedia states that Meitei tradition derives the origin of mukna from the Puya manuscripts, among which it names Leithal, Leikharol and Pudin. In the myth it cites, Sanamahi turns into a winged horse and Pakhangba catches him in an iron trap, with which the name of the wrestling is also associated. Wikipedia names Khamba and Nongban as legendary figures connected with mukna. The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games writes that mukna is reportedly more than a thousand years old, that it was popularised by the legend of Khamba and Thoibi, in which Khamba proves his worth by wrestling at the royal court, and that the kings of Manipur supported it as part of state rituals.
How it differs
Mukna kangjei differs from mukna. The daily Assam Tribune describes it as a game combining kangjei, a sport similar to hockey, with mukna, a traditional wrestling. The website The Wire wrote in April 2024 that an NCERT textbook wrongly attributed mukna kangjei to Mizoram, although it is traditionally tied to the Meitei in Manipur. The website eSamskriti describes it as a team game with sticks in which players may hold opponents by the belt.
Technique
According to English Wikipedia, mukna includes a number of techniques called lou, which are demanding in both fitness and skill. It says the neck, hair, ears and legs must not be held with the hands, and strikes are fouls. The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games states that only upper-body techniques are allowed and that punches and kicks are not permitted. According to the same organisation, a wrestler is called mukna-chingba.
Training
A parliamentary answer in the Lok Sabha (AU3883) lists mukna as a discipline of two centres of the Indigenous Games and Martial Arts programme of Sports Authority of India in Manipur: Bal Vidya Mandir in Dhobal and Panthoibi Jagoi Sindam Academy in Shanglen, each with eight boys. The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games writes that wrestlers were often trained from childhood by older wrestlers and spiritual mentors.
Today
The daily Assam Tribune wrote about the first state competition Mukna Takhatnaba, held over two days in Imphal. It was organised by Iramdamgi Eenat Yokhat Lup and Eikhoigee Club under the All Manipur Mukna Association. According to the paper, Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced there the building of a stadium for mukna and an annual gathering of indigenous martial arts, and called mukna a dying indigenous sport. According to the parliamentary answer in the Lok Sabha, sport is a matter for individual states, and support for indigenous games is primarily the responsibility of states and national federations. The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games states that mukna is threatened by modern sports and the decline of traditional gatherings, and that it documents and revives it with organisations in Manipur.
Did you know
English Wikipedia calls the winner yatra. According to the International Council of Traditional Sports and Games, the referee is called maiba and is traditionally also seen as a spiritual person, while wrestlers represent their villages or clans.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between mukna and mukna kangjei?
According to the website eSamskriti, mukna is a wrestling match of two men. According to the daily Assam Tribune, mukna kangjei combines kangjei, a hockey-like sport, with mukna.
When is mukna wrestled?
According to English Wikipedia, usually on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival.
What is ningri?
According to English Wikipedia, a belt by which wrestlers hold each other. The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games calls it a loincloth and names the belt khamen chatpa.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.