When you think wrestling, Krishna is not the first name that comes to mind. You think Hanuman whose saffron images grace the mud-pits of traditional Indian gymnasiums known as akharas. Young men in loincloth, coated with mustard or sesame oil, can be seen in these places grappling with each other, to cheering of onlookers. Ancient India knew it as the Sanskrit malla-yuddha, while medieval India knew it as the Persian pehelvani, it is popularly known as kushti or dangal. Much loved in the villages of India, Bollywood will shortly be acknowledging it through films such as Salman Khan’s Sultan and Aamir Khan’s Dangal.

Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik