# Wrestling in India

Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in India. Several regional styles and variations in folk wrestling exists in the country. Indian wrestlers have won numerous medals at international competitions in freestyle wrestling.

## History

Wrestling has been popular in India since ancient times, it was mainly an exercise to stay physically fit. The wrestlers, traditionally, use to wear a loincloth, langota. In Ancient India, wrestling was most famously known as Malla-yuddha. One of the protagonists of the Mahabharata, Bhima, was considered to be a great wrestler of his time, with some of his contemporaries including Karna, Jarasandha, Kichaka, and Balarama. The other prominent Indian epic, the Ramayana, also mentions wrestling in India and Hanuman is described as one of the greatest wrestlers of his time. During the reign of Mughal Empire, who were of Turko-Mongol descent, the influence of Iranian and Mongolian wrestling were incorporated to the local Malla-yuddha to form the modern Pehlwani, wrestling style popular throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in modern times.
Wrestling in India is also known as Dangal, and it is the basic form of a wrestling tournament. It is also called kushti in Punjab and Haryana. The wrestling in Punjab and Haryana will take place in a circular court with soft ground which in Punjabi is called an "akharha". Two wrestlers will continue to wrestle until the back of one touches the ground. The winner will parade the court with the loser following him.[10] The wrestlers are called Pehlwans who train with modern weights and traditional weights such as a Gada (mace). The aim of kushti is to wrestle the opponent and to block the other player.

## Regional variants

* Gatta gusthi, a submission wrestling style common in Kerala.
* Inbuan, a traditional folk wrestling style native to Mizoram.
* Kabaddi, a form of South Asian folk wrestling played in teams.
* Kene, a traditional folk wrestling style native to Nagaland.
* Malakhra, a wrestling common in Sindh (Pakistan) and Gujarat.
* Malla-yuddha, oldest traditional wrestling extant in India.
* Malyutham, a folk wrestling style native to Tamil Nadu.
* Mukna, a form of folk wrestling native to Manipur.
* Pehlwani or Kushti, a Mughal style of wrestling common in North India.
* Vajra-mushti, a folk wrestling form which employs a fist-load weapon.

## Tournament records

| Competition | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| Olympic Games | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| World Championship | 1 | 5 | 16 | 22 |
| Asian Games | 11 | 15 | 39 | 65 |
| Asian Championship | 25 | 82 | 137 | 244 |
| Commonwealth Games | 49 | 39 | 26 | 114 |
| Total | 86 | 143 | 224 | 453 |
* updated till 31st July, 2024

## Notable performances at Summer Olympics

| Year | Event | Player | Result |
| 1920 |
| 1920 | Men's freestyle featherweight | Dinkkarao Shinde | 4th |
| 1948 |
| 1948 | Men's freestyle flyweight | K. D. Jadhav | 6th |
| 1952 |
| 1952 | Men's freestyle bantamweight | K. D. Jadhav | |
| 1952 | Men's freestyle featherweight | Keshav Mangave | 4th |
| 1960 |
| 1960 | Men's freestyle middleweight | Madho Singh | 5th |
| 1960 | Men's freestyle light heavyweight | Sajan Singh | 7th |
| 1964 |
| 1964 | Men's freestyle bantamweight | Bishambar Singh | 6th |
| 1968 |
| 1968 | Men's freestyle 52 kg | Sudesh Kumar | 6th |
| 1968 | Men's freestyle 70 kg | Udey Chand | 6th |
| 1972 |
| 1972 | Men's freestyle 52 kg | Sudesh Kumar | 4th |
| 1972 | Men's freestyle 57 kg | Prem Nath | 4th |
| 1980 |
| 1980 | Men's freestyle 68 kg | Jagmander Singh | 4th |
| 1980 | Men's freestyle 48 kg | Mahabir Singh | 5th |
| 1980 | Men's freestyle 74 kg | Rajinder Singh | 6th |
| 1984 |
| 1984 | Men's freestyle 74 kg | Rajinder Singh | 4th |
| 1984 | Men's freestyle 57 kg | Rohtas Singh Dahiya | 5th |
| 1984 | Men's freestyle 52 kg | Mahabir Singh | 6th |
| 1984 | Men's freestyle 48 kg | Sunil Dutt | 7th |
| 1984 | Men's freestyle 90 kg | Kartar Singh | 7th |
| 1992 |
| 1992 | Men's freestyle 100 kg | Subhash Verma | 6th |
| 1992 | Men's Greco-Roman 48 kg | Pappu Yadav | 8th |
| 2008 |
| 2008 | Men's freestyle 66 kg | Sushil Kumar | |
| 2012 |
| 2012 | Men's freestyle 66 kg | Sushil Kumar | |
| 2012 | Men's freestyle 60 kg | Yogeshwar Dutt | |
| 2016 |
| 2016 | Women's freestyle 58 kg | Sakshi Malik | |
| 2020 |
| 2020 | Men's freestyle 57 kg | Ravi Kumar Dahiya | |
| 2020 | Men's freestyle 65 kg | Bajrang Punia | |
| 2020 | Men's freestyle 86 kg | Deepak Punia | 5th |
| 2024 |
| 2024 | Men's freestyle 57 kg | Aman Sehrawat | |
| 2024 | Women's freestyle 68 kg | Nisha Dahiya | 7th |
| 2024 | Women's freestyle 76 kg | Reetika Hooda | 7th |