The Journey of Wrestling:
Wrestling is one of the oldest sports in India. Several regional styles and variations in folk wrestling exists in the country. 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 premier characters in Mahabharata, Bhima was considered to be a great wrestler of the time, and some of the other great wrestlers included Karna, Jarasandha, Keechaka and Balrama. In the other Indian epic, Ramayana also mentions wrestling in India and Lord Hanuman is described as one of the greatest wrestlers of his time.
During the Mughal rule who were of Turko-Mongol descent, the influence of Iranian and Mongolian wrestling was incorporated to the local Malla-Yuddha to form the modern Pehlwani.
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.