Mallakhamba or mallakhamb is a traditional sport, originating from the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...

, in which a

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

performs aerial

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

gymnastic Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

postures and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

grips in concert with a vertical stationary or hanging wooden pole, cane, or rope. The word "mallakhamb" also refers to the pole used in the sport. The pole is usually made from sheesham (Indian rosewood) polished with

castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 0.961 g/cm3. It includes a mixture of triglycerides in which about ...

. Three popular versions of Mallakhamb are practiced using a sheesham pole, cane, or rope. The name Mallakhamb derives from the terms ''malla'', meaning wrestler, and ''khamb'', which means a pole. Literally meaning "wrestling pole", the term refers to a traditional training implement used by wrestlers. On April 9, 2013, the Indian state of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...

declared Mallakhamba the state sport. , more than 20 other states in India have followed suit.

History

Chandraketugarh Chandraketugarh is a 2,500 years old archaeological site located near the Bidyadhari river, about north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Harua Road railhead. Once it was ...

pottery (Dated 2nd century BCE - 1st century CE) with narrative figures carved on them show a couple exhibiting gymnastics by hanging on a pole like structure in the shape of a T which is held by another person. In 7th century CE, Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Xuanzhang provides evidence of pole climbing of the pillar cult which he witnessed at Prayagraj, he states that Hindu ascetics climbed the top of a pole situated at Prayagraj clinging onto it with one hand and one foot while other hand and foot stretched out in the air and watched sunset with their heads turned right as it set which indicates a solar rite. The earliest literary known mention of Mallakhamb is in the 1135 CE Sanskrit classic ''

Manasollasa The ' also known as ''Abhilashitartha Chintamani'', is an early 12th-century Sanskrit text composed by the Kalyani Chalukya king Someshvara III, who ruled in present-day Karnataka . It is an encyclopedic work covering topics such as polity, gove ...

'', written by a Western Chalukya king

Someshvara III Someshvara III (; ) was a Western Chalukya king (also known as the Kalyani Chalukyas), the son and successor of Vikramaditya VI. He ascended the throne of the Western Chalukya Kingdom in 1126 CE, or 1127 CE. Someshvara III, the third king in t ...

. A

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

painting from 1610 CE shows athletes performing various

acrobatics Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acr ...

, including

pole climbing Pole climbing is ascending a pole which one can grip with his or her hands. The related activity of mast climbing describes ascending an object similar to a pole, but having a larger diameter which excludes gripping with the hands. In either case, ...

while dancing to Raga Desahka. A Mughal painting from 1670 depicts wrestlers or athletes practicing

club swinging Juggling practice has developed a wide range of patterns and forms which involve different types of manipulation, different props, numbers of props, and numbers of jugglers. The forms of juggling shown here are practiced by amateur, non-performing, ...

, weightlifting, and pole climbing similar to Mallakhamb. The art form since remained dormant until it was given a new lease on life by Balambhatta Dada Deodhar, the teacher of

Peshwa The Peshwa (Pronunciation: e(ː)ʃʋaː was the appointed (later becoming hereditary) prime minister of the Maratha Empire of the Indian subcontinent. Originally, the Peshwas served as subordinates to the Chhatrapati (the Maratha king); later ...

Baji Rao II Shrimant Peshwa Baji Rao II (10 January 1775 – 28 January 1851) was the 13th and the last Peshwa of the Maratha Empire. He governed from 1795 to 1818. He was installed as a puppet ruler by the Maratha nobles, whose growing power prompted ...

. During the first half of the 19th century, Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi learned Mallakhamb with her childhood friends Nana Saheb and

Tantia Tope Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope, : ̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe 6 January 1814 – 18 April 1859) was a general in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and one of its notable leaders. Despite lacking formal military training, Tantia Tope is widely consi ...

. Mallakhamb as a Competitive Sport was first time Developed by the Mallakhamb Federation of India in January 1981 and the rules and regulations were also introduced for the first time in the First National Championships held from 28 to 29 January 1981. Performing mallakhamb

Competitive Mallakhamb at the national level first made its appearance in 1958 at the National Gymnastics Championships (NGCs) held at the Pahadganj Stadium,

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. The Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) proposed to recognize the game and include it in subsequent NGCs. The first National Mallakhamb Championships were held in 1962 at

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, as part of the NGCs. Around 1968, the game was introduced in the All-India Inter-University Gymnastics Championships. The National Mallakhamb Championships were organized annually by the GFI until 1976. In 1977, these Mallakhamb Championships were removed from the GFI, and no major championship games were held until 1980. Bamshankar Joshi and other Mallakhamb enthusiasts at

Ujjain Ujjain (, Hindustani pronunciation: �d͡ːʒɛːn is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative centre of Ujjain district and Uj ...

, Madhya Pradesh, founded an All-India Level Organization named the Mallakhamb Federation of India. The first All-India National Mallakhamb Championships were organized by the New Sports Association from January 28 to 29, 1981, at Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh. The event brought in representatives from all over India; they participated in these championships and this organisation has been registered on 7 June 1984 as Mallakhamb Federation wide Registration No.13752. The National Mallakhamb Championships have since been organized by different state associations affiliated to this Federation. Competitively, there are several versions but three variations of Mallakhamb sport are in practice since 1937: # Pole Mallakhamb # Hanging Mallakhamb # Rope Mallakhamb All are practiced by both men and women, though Pole Mallakhamb is more commonly practiced by men and boys, and Rope Mallakhamb by women and girls. All Mallakhamb competitions are organized under the rules made by the Mallakhamb Federation of India, and 28 states are affiliated to the Federation. Himani Uttam Parab won Gold Medal in Rope Long set in the first World Mallakhamb Championship 2019.

Variations and specifications

Pole Mallakhamb

In this variation, a vertical wooden pole made of

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters ( pan ...

wood or sheesham is fixed to the ground. The pole is smeared with

, which helps to minimize excessive friction. Participants perform various acrobatic feats and poses while hanging on the pole. Wrestlers mount, dismount, and utilize the pole for various complex

calisthenics Calisthenics (American English) or callisthenics (British English) ( /ˌkælɪsˈθɛnɪks/) is a form of strength training consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups (gross motor movements), such as standing, graspi ...

designed to develop their grip, stamina, and strength in the arms, legs, and upper body. There are a number of pillars, although the most common is a free-standing upright pole, some eight to ten inches in diameter, planted into the ground. The pole used in competitions is a straight pole made of teak or sheesham wood, standing in height with a circumference of at the base. It gradually tapers to a circumference of at the top. The specifications of Pole Mallakhamb are as follows:

Hanging Mallakhamb

This type of Mallakhamb is similar to Pole Mallakhamb, but it uses a wooden pole shorter than the standard pole in Pole Mallakhamb. The pole is hung with hooks and a chain, leaving a gap between the ground and the bottom of the Mallakhamb. The specifications of Hanging Mallakhamb are as follows:

Rope Mallakhamb

In this variation, the participant performs exercises while hanging on a rope suspended from a support at the top. The rope is typically long, and approximately in diameter. The rope is caught by the performer in the gap between the big toe and the second toe, along with one or both hands. After climbing upwards on the rope, the performer ties the rope around the body through a sequence of steps. The performer then reaches various positions called ''Udi'' ("to fly"), some of which are imitations of standard

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

. Rope Mallakhamb was historically performed on a

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...

, but due to the lack of good cane, a cotton rope is used. Performers are expected to perform various exercises without knotting the rope in any way. The specifications of Rope Mallakhamb are as follows:

Official international organizations

* Vishwa Mallakhamb Federation (VMF) * Mallakhamb Confederation of World (MCW) * Asian Mallakhamb Federation (AMF) * South Asian Mallakhamb Federation (SAMF)

Official Indian mallakhamb sport national organizations

*Mallakhamb Federation which was widely known as Mallakhamb Federation of India MFI before its registration on 7 June 1984 with Registration No. 13752 in

, M.P. *Mallakhamb Federation is affiliated with Vishwa Mallakhamb Federation, Mallakhamb Confederation of World MCW, Asian Mallakhamb Federation AMF, South Asian Mallakhamb Federation SAMF. *

References

External links

Mallakhamb India website
* * * *{{Cite book, editor-last=Mujumdar, editor-first=D.C., title=The Encyclopedia of Indian Physical Culture, publisher=Baroda: Sree Ram Vijaya Printing Press, year=1950 * https://web.archive.org/web/20101210030821/http://library.thinkquest.org/11372/data/mallakhamb.htm *https://www.news18.com/news/sports/india-win-team-event-at-mallakhamb-world-championship-2039549.html *https://indianexpress.com/photos/india-news/india-hosts-first-ever-world-mallakhamb-championship-in-mumbai-5590757/ Gymnastics Gymnastics apparatus Exercise equipment Traditional sports of India Sports originating in India Culture of Maharashtra Sport in Maharashtra Wrestling in India Cultural history of Maharashtra