Indian Wrestlers (Pehlwani)
Pehlwan / Pehlwani
Traditional Indian wrestlers training in Akhara arenas under ancient Kushti and Malla-yuddha disciplines.
Quick Facts
Biography
Indian Pehlwani wrestlers practice Kushti in earthen pits (Akhara). Combining ancient Malla-yuddha grappling with Persian influences, they train using heavy maces (Gada) and stone weights.
Associated Martial Arts
Ancient Indian unarmed discipline focused on disarming an armed attacker without injury.
Inbuan (Mizo Wrestling)Origin community→The Mizo wrestling of Mizoram in which bending the knees is forbidden; the winner lifts his opponent clear of the ground.
Musti-yuddha (Ancient Indian Boxing)Origin community→The ancient Indian art of the fist, attested in the classical texts and at home in Varanasi. As a living practice it has effectively died out — no manual or complete system survives.
Niyuddha (Sanskrit term for close combat)Origin community→A general Sanskrit term for close combat, not a school or a style. It points to the documented wrestling tradition malla-yuddha and to musti-yuddha.
Pehlwani (Kushti)Origin community→The traditional wrestling of the Indian subcontinent, trained in akharas on an earth floor. It arose from indigenous malla-yuddha fused with Persian varzesh-e pahlavani.