Beyond the stadium: Rediscovering India’s cultural sports

India's sporting landscape is as diverse as its culture, with indigenous games that embody the spirit of tradition, community and history. From ancient pastimes to modern-day competitions, these regional sports offer a glimpse into the country's vibrant cultural fabric.

India, with its vast expanse, is home to a rich tapestry of traditions, cultures, languages, festivals, and cuisines, a diversity that the country takes immense pride in. However, there is another realm where this diversity flourishes just as vibrantly, its regional sports.

While India excels in a few sports notably, cricket, it also boasts an impressive array of indigenous sports that honour its cultural heritage and celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship.

These regional games, deeply rooted in local traditions, offer a fascinating glimpse into the nation’s diverse history and customs. Each of these sports carries profound cultural significance, with some dating back centuries, reflecting values, folklore and way of life of local communities.

These games, often passed down through generations, are a testament to India’s rich sporting legacy.

Kambala, Karnataka and Kerala

Kambala is a traditional buffalo race that takes place in the coastal regions of Karnataka such as Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, and Bhatkal, and at Kasaragod in Kerala. The Kambala season usually begins in November every year and lasts until March of the following year.

The sport involves two pairs of buffalos, controlled by farmers, competing in a race, organised in paddy fields. The annual event sees about 20-40 such races each season. While in ancient times, Kambala held as a mark of respect for the agrarian root and entertainment, has been turned into a professional event with large crowd in attendance betting on and cheering the participants.

The legacy behind this unique sport is rooted in agrarian society can be traced back to the 1970s. Despite stringent laws for animal welfare in the country, Kambala is held every year under reasonable restrictions and regulations.

Elephant Polo, Rajasthan

While the game of polo is often associated with horses, in Rajasthan, a state in the north-western region of India, this sport is played while riding elephants. Many believe that the Indian royals adapted their own version of polo from the British in the 1900s leading to the invention of elephant polo.

As far as the rules of the game are concerned each player is given three chances to hit the ball without hooking the sticks. No more than two elephants of a team can be present in any one half of the playfield. Elephants cannot lie down before reaching their goals and are also not allowed to use their trunks to pick up balls.

While the sport is still in practice in numerous regions of the state of Rajasthan, if reports are to be believed, it might get discontinued soon due to concerns raised over the welfare of elephants involved in the game.

Dhopkhel, Assam 

Sadly known as the dying sport of Assam, this unique game, once played by sportsman to entertain the erstwhile royal families is barely known to the current generations.

Dhopkhel is an indigenous sport, traditionally played between two eleven-member teams on a 125 m × 80 m field. Dhop is the ball that is thrown at each other by the teams and if it does not fall on the opponent’s court, it is to be thrown again. The dhop has to be caught by the opposing team, and if they fail, the other team takes the throw. The game bears resemblance to several international team sports including rugby, dodgeball and American football.

The legacy of Dhopkhel can be traced by to the dynasty of Ahom Kings making it one of the oldest games of North-east India.

Inbaun, Mizoram  

Ibaun, a sport which resembles combat wrestling, is traditional to the north-eastern state of Mizoram. The game involves two players, positioned in a circle of 15-16 metres in diametre on a carpet or grass.

The winner is the one who succeeds in lifting his opponent off the ground, using strength, skill and rapid movement of the arms and legs. By using the legs, the aim is to loosen the grip of an opponent’s legs or feet, but kicking is prohibited.

The contests are conducted over three rounds till one of the players is lifted off the ground.  Stepping outside the ring and bending of knees is not permitted. The belt or catch-hold rope, around the waist, has to remain tight all through the game.

Mallakhamba, Multiple states

Mallakhamba, a type of Indian gymnastics on a vertical pole, is said to be one of the most ancient sports of India dating back to the 12th century. The extremely difficult sport involves an immense amount of control and focus on one’s movements. Athletes practicing demonstrate exceptional acrobatic skills and flexibility.

The sport involves numerous styles such as pole mallakhamba, also seen as the traditional form of the sport, involves an athlete performing mallakhamba on a wooden pole which is 2.6 m in height and has a circumference of 55cm at the base. The pole gradually tapers to a circumference of 35cm at the top.

Other forms include rope mallakhamba, performed on a suspended rope and hanging mallakhamba, which uses a shorter pole suspended in air with hooks or chains as a prop.

The sport is extremely popular in many states, especially Maharashtra, where kids are trained at a very early age to perform Mallakhamba.