Mukna is a form of
folk wrestling
A folk wrestling style is any traditional style of wrestling, which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most cultures have developed regional forms of grappling.
Europe
Britain
Traditionally wrestling has two main centres in Great ...
from the
north-east India
Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political administrative division of the country. It comprises eight states—Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, M ...
n state of
Manipur
Manipur () is a state in northeastern India with Imphal as its capital. It borders the Indian states of Assam to the west, Mizoram to the south, and Nagaland to the north and shares the international border with Myanmar, specifically t ...
. It is popular in
Imphal
Imphal (; , ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (officially known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the former Kingdom of Manipur, surrounded by a ...
,
Thoubal and
Bishnupur. The game is generally played on the last day of the
Lai Haraoba
Lai Haraoba (, ), also known as Umang Lai Haraoba, is a classical,———— ritualistic, theatrical dance and music festival, annually celebrated by the Meitei people, to please the Umang Lai deities of the traditional Meitei religion (San ...
festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.
History
The mythological origin according to
Meiteis
The Meitei people, also known as Meetei people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." are a T ...
trace back to
Puya manuscripts such as ''Leithal'', ''Leikharol'', and ''Pudin''.
It is thought to have originated in Moirang Kangleirol, in which Khamba and Nongban were two legendary figures in Mukna.
Sport
Matches begin with the competitors holding each other's belts called ''ningri''. The object is to pin the opponent with their back touching the ground. The winner is called a ''yatra''.
Mukna contains many techniques (''lou'') which require absolute physical fitness and skill to be mastered.
Holding the opponent's neck, hair, ear or legs with the hands is not permitted. Any strikes are also considered fouls. Anyone who touches the ground with any part of their body besides the feet is declared the loser.
Wrestlers are paired according to weight-class. The traditional attire not only protects the players' vital points but also helps to identify the ''pana'' or the ''yek'' to which the wrestler belongs.
It is popular in Kakching Haraoba, Chakpa Haraoba among others. The game is generally played on the last day of the
Lai Haraoba
Lai Haraoba (, ), also known as Umang Lai Haraoba, is a classical,———— ritualistic, theatrical dance and music festival, annually celebrated by the Meitei people, to please the Umang Lai deities of the traditional Meitei religion (San ...
festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.
See also
*
Akhara
Akhara or Akhada (Hindi: अखाड़ा, romanised: ''Akhāṛā'') is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists or a ''sampradaya'' monastery fo ...
*
Boli Khela
Boli Khela or Bali Khela () is a traditional form of wrestling in Bangladesh, particularly popular in the Chittagong area considered as a national game of the district. It is a form of combat sport involving grappling type techniques such as ...
*
Gatta Gusthi
*
Inbuan
*
Malakhra
*
Malla-yuddha
Malla-yuddha (Sanskrit: मल्लयुद्ध, ) is the traditional form of combat-wrestling originating in the Indian subcontinent. It is closely related to Southeast Asian wrestling styles such as naban and is one of the two ancestors o ...
*
Pehlwani
Pehlwani, also known as Kushti, is a form of wrestling contested in the Indian subcontinent. It was developed in the Mughal Empire by combining Persian Pahlevani and zoorkhaneh rituals, Koshti pahlevani with influences from native Indian Malla- ...
*
Thang-Ta
*
Vajra-mushti
References
Folk wrestling styles
Indian martial arts
Traditional sports of India
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