Mallakhamb is a traditional sport that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It is a type of gymnastics in which players perform aerial yoga or gymnastics postures with a vertical wooden pole or hanging cane or rope. The word Mallakhamb refers to the use of a pole in the sport, it is usually made from Sheesham (Indian Rosewood) and polished with castor oil. Most popularly three versions of Mallakhamb are practiced using a Sheesham pole, cane, or rope. National Games 2022: Full List of Sports Events at 36th National Games of India in Gujarat.

The name Mallakhamb is derived from the term ‘Malla’ which means wrestling and ‘Khamb’ means pole. Literally meaning "wrestling pole", the term refers to a traditional training used by wrestlers.

History and Origin of the Mallakhamb

This ancient Indian sport dates back to the first half of the 12th century. A text written by Chalukya in 1153 A.D., makes mention of wrestlers practicing on wooden Mallakhamb poles. Then in the latter half of the 19th century, it was brought back by Balamdatta Dada Deodhar, the physical trainer of Bajirao Peshwa II. Initially, the Mallakhamb practice was focused on learning new Kushti techniques but, in the modern era, it has become a part of gymnastics. Mallakhamb made its first appearance as a competitive sport on the national level at the national gymnastics championships in 1958, in Delhi. The first-ever national Mallakhamb championships were held at Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, in 1962. In 1981 the Mallakhamb Federation of India was founded and the national-level organisation formalised the rules of sports later in the same year.

Mallakhamb Video

Mallakhamb Rules

Mallakhamb rules are fairly simple and quite close to gymnastics. The participant must perform acrobatic tricks using a vertical pole or rope as a prop and judges award points on how well the moves have been executed. Five different categories are used to judge the competitors- mounting, acrobatics, catches, balances, and dismount. Each participant is given a score by the judges during a performance, and the one with the highest score is crowned the champion.

Mallakhamb makes the body lean and powerful. These exercises have been discovered to be helpful to attain efficiency in several different activities and sports including gymnastics and wrestling. The game requires a flexible body, attentive muscles and mind, focus and muscle expansion, rhythmic breathing, wide-open eyes, etc.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2022 05:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).