Pehlwani is a form of wrestling from the South Asia. It was developed in the Mughal Empire by combining native malla-yuddha with influences from Persian varzesh-e bastani.The words pehlwani and kushti derive from the Persian terms pahlavani and koshtirespectively. It is likely that the word derives from the Iranian word "Pehalavi" denoting an Iranian people.
A practitioner of this sport is referred to as a pehlwan while teachers are known as ustad. Many southern Indian practitioners of traditional malla-yuddha consider their art to be the more "pure" form of Indian wrestling, but most South Asians do not make this clear distinction and simply view kushti as the direct descendent of ancient malla-yuddha, usually downplaying the foreign influence as inconsequential.
The ancient South Asian form of wrestling is called malla-yuddha. Practiced at least since the 5th millenniun BC,[described in the 13th century treatise Malla Purana, it was the precursor of modern kushti.
In the 16th century, northern India was conquered by the Central Asian Mughals, who were of Turko-Mongol descent. Through the influence of Iranian and Mongolian wrestling, they incorporated groundwork to the local malla-yuddha, thereby creating modern kushti. Babur, the first Mughal emperor, was a wrestler himself and could reportedly run very fast for a long distance while holding a man under each arm. Mughal-era wrestlers sometimes even wore bagh naka on one hand, in a variation called naki ka kushti
During the late 17th century, Ramadasa the "father of Indian athletics" travelled the country encouraging Hindus to physical activity in homage to the great god Hanuman. Maratha rulers supported kushti by offering large sums of prize money for tournament champions. It was said that every Maratha boy at the time could wrestle and even women took up the sport. During the colonial period, local princes sustained the popularity of kushti by hosting matches and competitions. Wrestling was the favourite spectator sport of the Rajputs, and were said to look forward to tournaments "with great anxiety". Every Rajput prince or chief had a number of wrestling champions to compete for his entertainment. The greatest wrestling centres were said to be Uttar Pradesh and the Panjab.
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