Myths surrounding the origin of the ancient Indian game kabaddi
Growing up in India, which outdoor sport attracted you the most? Some may say badminton, others might go with cricket and football. But some may also come with another name: Kabaddi. Having said that, this suburban sport has now been urbanised thanks to the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) that was introduced in 2014. Now, one of the most-watched sports tournaments in otherwise a cricket-following nation, PKL, the Indian men’s professional kabaddi championship has changed the course of kabaddi in the present times. Now, ahead of the final of the 9th edition, while India is busy chanting the slogan “Le Panga”, let’s pique your minds about the origin of this much-loved game.
Born in the hands of father-son duo Arjuna and Abhimanyu
Sports historians have suggested for ages that kabaddi originated in India as a form of combat sport to prepare for ancient battles and historical wars and has ever since been rooted deeply in the Indian culture. In fact, its roots can be traced back to the Hindu epic, The Mahabharata. According to myths, the legendary Pandava warrior Arjuna had mastered kabaddi skills from Lord Krishna, who was himself a champion of the sport. The narrative also posits that Arjuna, using his kabaddi lessons, had breached several enemy walls inconspicuously and walked back unscathed.
Similarly, Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu too is said to have inherited kabaddi skills from his father and brought down a seven-tiered defence of the opponent, Kauravas, single-handedly. If you are familiar with kabaddi moves, you can associate it with a single raider raiding the opposite side having seven defenders and returning to his side victorious. Interestingly, apart from Hindu mythology, Buddhist legends also state that Gautam Buddha was fond of playing a kabaddi-like sport during his leisure time.
Kabaddi originated in Tamil Nadu
There’s also a theory that suggests that kabaddi was born in ancient Tamil Nadu almost 4000 years ago. Back then, the place was called thamizhagam, while kabaddi was played as chedugudu or hu-tu-tu. It had two purposes: One as a warm up for professional bull-runners, the other for princes to prove their strengths and win brides. In fact, the word kabaddi is also Tamil that literally translates to “holding hands.” Interestingly, the ancestors of kabaddi were also practised in the east as hadudu (for men) and kit-kit (for women).
Despite being an ancient game, kabaddi received its due recognition only in the 20th century. In 1918, the first official rulebook was established and five years later, an all-India tournament was the first sporting event where kabaddi was played. In 1950, the All-India Kabaddi Federation was set up, and since then kabaddi has been an important part of the Asian Games.
Bonus fact: World Kabaddi Federation defines kabaddi as a combative sport that teaches the life lesson that offence is an individual effort whereas defence is a group effort.