US EditionRooted in the earth, India's traditional mud wrestling thrives
- In Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India, wrestlers compete in traditional mud wrestling bouts called kushti or dangal, where matches end by pinning opponents to the mud.
- Kushti developed during the 16th-century Mughal era, blending indigenous wrestling with Persian martial arts and emphasizing throws without blows or kicks.
- Wrestlers train rigorously at talims, waking before dawn for exercises like running, push-ups, rope climbing, and grappling, while avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and distractions.
- Mauli Jamdade, a 33-year-old wrestling star who joined the Gangavesh talim at 14, said, "It is everything," maintaining at least 120 kilos and a $350 monthly food bill to compete.
- Despite growing popularity of wrestling on mats, mud wrestling remains vital to village fairs, sustaining a tradition that produced Olympic medalists like KD Jadhav from Kolhapur.
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FOX 28 SpokaneReposted by 
The Straits Times
The Straits TimesRooted in the earth, India’s traditional mud wrestling thrives
Crowds cheer as muscular men in tight loincloths slap sacred scented soil on their bulging thighs and arms for a mud wrestling bout in India. "When we fight, we sweat," said 33-year-old Mauli Jamdade, a wrestling star in Maharashtra state, rubbing red-brown earth onto his body for each clash. "The mud gives us grip and
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Leaning Left2Leaning Right5Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution42% Center, 42% Right
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center, 42% of the sources lean Right
42% Right
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R 42%
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