Indian Physical Culture

 

History

Physical fitness was prized in traditional Hindu thought, with cultivation of the body (dehvada) seen as one path to full self-realization. Buddhist universities such as Nalanda taught various forms of physical culture, such as swimming and archery, with Buddha himself having been well-acquainted with martial activities prior to his enlightenment. Gurukulas focused significantly on physical education alongside academics, with Hindu epics such as the Ramayana often depicting kings marrying off their daughters to men who excelled in athletic events.

A variety of ball games and war-training activities were present in ancient India, with both men and women participating. The traditional Indian physical culture generally used little to no equipment. Ayurvedic medical treatises such as the Charaka Samhita and the Sushruta Samhita emphasized exercise as a way of avoiding conditions such as diabetes, and prescribed exercise in accordance with the seasons. Some specialist communities were known for their acrobatic performances, such as dancing on bamboo.

Hunting for recreation was common through Indian history, and was partaken in by royals; it was done for a variety of reasons, such as proving manliness, for religious purposes, or simply for thrill-seeking purposes. The emphasis on hunting coincided with an overall view of the forest as being an area to be conquered and used by the state, which resulted in conflict between kingdoms and forest-dwellers. Though Hindu scriptures warned against excessive hunting of animals. By the end of the colonial era, some animal species had been hunted to extinction, such as cheetahs. Other exercises done with animals included provoking intoxicated elephants for the purpose of building strength by maneuvering around them and escaping their wrath.

Hindu nationalism

The native thought streams became highly relevant in Indian history when they helped form a distinctive identity about the Indian polity and provided a basis for questioning colonialism. These also inspired Indian nationalists during the independence movement based on armed struggle, coercive politics, and non-violent protests. They also influenced social reform movements and economic thinking in India.

Today, Hindutva (meaning 'Hinduness') is a dominant form of Hindu nationalist politics in India. As a political ideology, the term Hindutva was articulated by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923. The Hindutva movement has been described as a variant of "right-wing extremism" and as "almost fascist in the classical sense", adhering to a concept of homogenised majority and cultural hegemony. Some analysts dispute the "fascist" label, and suggest Hindutva is an extreme form of "conservatism" or "ethnic absolutism". Some have also described Hindutva as a separatist ideology. Hindutva is championed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindutva paramilitary organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Sanatan Sanstha, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and other organisations in an ecosystem called the Sangh Parivar.

 Combat sports

A combat sport, or fighting sport, is a contact sport that usually involves one-on-one combat. In many combat sports, a contestant wins by scoring more points than the opponent, submitting the opponent with a hold, disabling the opponent (knockout, KO), or attacking the opponent in a specific or designated technique. Combat sports share a long history with the martial arts.

Some combat sports (and their national origin) include boxing (Greek-British), Brazilian jiu-jitsu (Japanese-Brazilian), catch wrestling (British-American), jujutsu (Japanese), judo (Japanese), freestyle wrestling (British-American), Greco-Roman wrestling (French), karate (Chinese-Okinawan-Japanese), kickboxing (numerous origins, mainly Southeast Asian), Lethwei (Burmese), mixed martial arts (numerous origins), Muay Thai (Thai), sambo (Soviet/Russian), sanda (Chinese), savate (French), taekwondo (Korean), Vale Tudo (Brazilian), pankration (Ancient Greek), luta livre (Brazilian), and folk wrestling (various).

Archery

Dhanurveda describes the practices and uses of archery, bow- and arrow-making, military training, and rules of engagement. The treatise discusses martial arts in relation to the training of warriors, charioteers, cavalry, elephant warriors, infantry etc. It was considered a sin to shoot a warrior in the back and to fight more than one warrior at a time. The bow used in the Vedic period were called danush, and were described in detail in the Vedas. The curved shape of the bow is called vakra in Artha Veda. The bowstring was called jya, and was strung only when needed. An arrow was called an iṣu, and a quiver was called an iṣudhi.

Wrestling

Wrestling has been popular in India since ancient times, it was mainly an exercise to stay physically fit. The wrestlers, traditionally, use to wear a loincloth, langota. In Ancient India, wrestling was most famously known as Malla-yuddha. One of the protagonists of the Mahabharata, Bhima, was considered to be a great wrestler of his time, with some of his contemporaries including Karna, Jarasandha, Kichaka, and Balarama. The other prominent Indian epic, the Ramayana, also mentions wrestling in India and Hanuman is described as one of the greatest wrestlers of his time. During the reign of Mughal Empire, who were of Turko-Mongol descent, the influence of Iranian and Mongolian wrestling were incorporated to the local Malla-yuddha to form the modern Pehlwani, wrestling style popular throughout India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in modern times.^[51]

Wrestling in India is also known as Dangal, and it is the basic form of a wrestling tournament. It is also called kushti in Punjab and Haryana. The wrestling in Punjab and Haryana will take place in a circular court with soft ground which in Punjabi is called an "akharha". Two wrestlers will continue to wrestle until the back of one touches the ground. The winner will parade the court with the loser following him. The wrestlers are called Pehlwans who train with modern weights and traditional weights such as a Gada (mace). The aim of kushti is to wrestle the opponent and to block the other player.

Dand

The most basic form of Hindu push-up starts from the downward dog yoga position (hands and feet on the floor with the posterior raised) and transitions to an upward dog position (hands and feet on the floor with the torso arched forwards and the legs close to the floor). It is also known as a dand, and is still widely known by this title especially in India where it originated. It is a common exercise in Indian physical culture and martial arts, particularly Pehlwani.The famous martial artist Bruce Lee also used it in his training regime and referred to it as a cat stretch, influenced by The Great Gama. It is an effective core strength exercise because it dynamically involves both the anterior and posterior chains in a harmonious fashion. There are numerous variations of the Hindu push-up although most incorporate the two postures used in the most basic version. It may also be known as a Hanuman push up, judo push up, or dive-bomber push-up.

 Baithak

This exercise is supplementary to Dands [Hindu pushups]. Dands give a prominent shape particularly to arms and chest while Baithaks shape calf muscles and thigh-muscles, tending to develop wonderful stamina of the performer. These two exercises enable Indian Wrestlers to become invincible in obtaining strength.

Generally the number of Baithaks should be double the number of Dands. Baithaks make the wrestlers firm of footwork in wrestling. Quickness in Baithaks develops quickness of body-movements and the repetition increases stamina. Thigh muscles are the longest and strongest muscles of the body and Baithaks, running and jumping make leg-muscles brawny and strong. 

Baithaks on toes, simple Baithaks on full soles and jumping Baithaks are some of the varieties practiced by Indian Wrestlers. In the initial stage of practice in this form of exercise, calf-muscles and thigh muscles ache a little, but constant daily practice without stoppage stops the complaint and increases the vigor, stamina and suppleness of the performer.

Yoga    

Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various soteriological goals (moksha), as practiced in the Hindu, Jain, Sikh, and Buddhist traditions.

Yoga may have pre-Vedic origins, but is first attested in the early first millennium BCE. It developed as various traditions in the eastern Ganges basin drew from a common body of practices, including Vedic elements. Yoga-like practices are mentioned in the Rigveda and a number of early Upanishads, but systematic yoga concepts emerge during the fifth and sixth centuries BCE in ancient India's ascetic and Śramaṇa movements, including Jainism and Buddhism. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the classical text on Hindu yoga, samkhya-based but influenced by Buddhism, dates to the early centuries of the Common Era Hatha yoga texts began to emerge between the ninth and 11th centuries, originating in tantra.

Yoga is practiced worldwide, but "yoga" in the Western world often entails a modern form of Hatha yoga and a posture-based physical fitness, stress-relief and relaxation technique, consisting largely of asanas; this differs from traditional yoga, which focuses on meditation and release from worldly attachments. It was introduced by gurus from India after the success of Swami Vivekananda's adaptation of yoga without asanas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Vivekananda introduced the Yoga Sutras to the West, and they became prominent after the 20th-century success of hatha yoga.

 Gada

The gada गदा is a mallet or blunt mace from the Indian subcontinent. Made either of wood or metal, it consists essentially of a spherical head mounted on a shaft, with a spike on the top. Outside India, the gada was also adopted in Southeast Asia, where it is still used in silat. The weapon might have Indo-Iranian origins, Old Persian also uses the word gadā to mean club, as seen in the etymology of Pasargadae.

The gada is the main weapon of the Hindu God Hanuman. Known for his strength,

Hanuman is traditionally worshipped by wrestlers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Vishnu also carries a gada named Kaumodaki in one of his four hands. In the epic Mahabharata, the fighters Balarama, Duryodhana, Bhima, Karna, Shalya, Jarasandha and others were said to be masters of the gada.

The martial art of wielding the gada is known as gada-yuddha. It can eitherbe wielded singly or in pairs and can be handled in twenty different ways. Various gadayuddha techniques are mentioned in the Agni Purana and Mahabharata

Gada is used by practitioners of silat martial arts in the Malay world. In Indonesia the

meaning of "gada" has been expanded to refer to other impact weapons including the mace, the morning star, and the flail. However, several ethnic groups of Indonesia have their own version of gada. Traditional Indonesian gada are generally shaped more like Persian meel club than Indian gada. This is because the iron used to make gada in pre-modern Indonesia, called besi khurasani, was imported from Khorasan. Local gada are often coated in an alloy called besi kuning, which is believed to possess magical power.

  

 

 Indian club

Indian clubs are a type of exercise equipment used to present resistance in movement to develop strength and mobility. They consist of juggling-club shaped wooden clubs of varying sizes and weights, which are swung in certain patterns as part of a strength exercise program. They can range in weight from a few pounds each to special clubs that can weigh as much as up to 100 pounds. They were used in carefully choreographed routines in which the clubs were swung in unison by a group of exercisers, led by an instructor,‌ the way it is still practiced in Varzesh-e Bastani in Iran and similar to 21st-century aerobics classes. The routines would vary according to the group's ability along with the weights of the clubs being used. When the 19th-century British colonists came across exercising clubs in India, they named them Indian clubs.