The Tidke’s Blog Topic Today – Uncommon Sports Played in India | Best Online Sports Shop In India
So many varieties of sports are played all over the globe. Some have become famous and are played by people all over the world. But there are many sports that are played only in some particular area or country. Some of the sports are weird, unusual or uncommon. They may be unheard off and may have some funny names. Some sports are very ancient and maybe related to the environment of a particular region. You see, apple race is a sport played on the Apple Isle of Tasmania. The sport ‘Running of the Reindeer’ is a sport played in Alaska with people running and a group of reindeers let loose after them. In India there are many uncommon sports and ancient sports that are more than 3000 years old.
Kabbadi
Kabaddi is one of the oldest sports played in India, that is dating back to 4000 years ago. According to legend, kabaddi originated in Tamil Nadu in India. The princes played to display their strength and win their brides. This is a team sport, that is played between two teams of seven players each. It is a popular sport played in the Indian subcontinent and other Asian countries. During each play, a player from the attacking side runs into the opposing team and tries to tag as many players as possible and return back to his side of the court without being touched. Today this sport is played in ten nations. It was also a part of the Beijing Asian Games. Kabbadi has become a lot more popular in India due to premier leagues played in India. This sport does not need any sports equipment nor any special apparel. It can be played just anywhere. It’s a show of strength, use of correct technique and smartness.
Elephant Polo
It is a sport, that was played by the royals in India. It involved the use of elephants. It’s similar to Polo, which was introduced by the Britishers. But in Polo, players sat on horseback and hit the ball as they galloped on the ground. This sport involves hitting the ball using a long stick while sitting on the elephant. It’s not a common man’s sport, as it involves the use of elephants. The maintenance of the elephants is expensive. Elephant Polo is played in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand.
Buffalo race
The Kambala Buffalo race is a very ancient sport played in Mangalore in Karnataka. It is an annual sport that is held in the villages of Mangalore. Around forty races are held and people participate with great enthusiasm every year. People of these villages look forward to the race, in spite of a ban on this game by supreme court. It is now held with a lot of strict regulations.
Mallakhamb
Mallakhamb is a very ancient sport that is played in India since time immemorial. It has its reference in Indian epics like Ramayana. It may be called as aerial yoga or gymnastics performed on a vertical pole. Actually ‘Malla’ means wrestling and ‘khamb’ means pole. So, it would mean wrestling on a pole. It mainly requires good control over the body movements and balancing power. It requires immense strength and practise. This fitness sports or art form was used during the Maratha king Peshwa Bajirao as a training form, for its guerrilla warfare. Since then, this sport has become popular in the state of Maharashtra. Kids are trained from early age for greater flexibility and agility. A demonstration of this sport was performed at the festival 2018 preceding the Common Wealth Games of 2018 and was meant to be a part of the opening ceremony of Tokyo Olympics 2020 but due to the Covid pandemic it could not materialise.
Asol Aap
It is a canoe race on sand. Its also known as Kayak Race. The Andaman and Nicobar Island is festered with coconut tree. And being an island, people commonly travel around using boats and canoe. This is a traditional sport played in the sands of the Nicobar Island. It is a canoe race on the sand. Fifteen to twenty people sit on the canoe and push forward the canoe with their limbs. This canoe is made from the coconut branch. The race is conducted in the dry season. 15 to 20 participants take part in the race. The participants sit in the canoe with one leg inside and the other leg outside. They drive the canoe by pushing it with the limbs that is outside the canoe. The distance for this race is about 6km. The one who completes the race in less time is the winner.
Kho Kho
This is another traditional sport played in the Indian subcontinent. It originated in the state of Maharashtra. It’s an outdoor team game involving 12 players, with 9 in the field and 3 extras. It is played on a rectangular field between two poles placed at the either ends. It mainly involves running and chasing. Eight players sit in the crouching position and one of the players tries the get hold of the player from the opposing team who will be running around and trying to avoid being touched. Each team will get two turns to score the points and two turns to defend. Each inning last for 9 minutes. The team getting the maximum score is the winner.
Inbuan
This game is played in Mizoram. It is a type of wrestling. It is played inside a circle and bending of the knees is not allowed. The players wear a tight belt around their waist. This belt has to remain tight throughout the game. The main objective is to lift the opponent off his feet.
Kalaripayattu
Kalaripayattu is an ancient martial art that originated in the state of Kerala in India more than 3000 years ago. It is one of the world’s oldest martial art. It is considered as the highest form of physical and mental training art form. In the 19th century it was banned by the British rulers, as they feared a revolution. This resulted in a decline of this sports. In the later part of the 19th century the sport gained popularity. The word ‘Kalari’ means battlefield and practice with weapons. According to legend, this sport was founded by Parasurama, an avatar of lord Vishnu. Recently 270 Indian Kalari participants, ranging from 4 to 60 years stood in the formation of a falcon to set a Guinness World Record as part of UAE National Day celebration. It is an aggressive and physically demanding sport. It improves flexibility, helps to gain control over the mind, improves concentration and gets rid of laziness. The person becomes adept at unarmed self-defence.
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