Mallakhamb team performs on the pole

Mallakhamb or mallakhamba is a traditional Indian sport in which a gymnast performs feats and poses in concert with a vertical wooden pole or rope. The word also refers to the pole used in the sport.

Mallakhamb derives from the terms malla which denotes an athlete or wrestler and khamba which means a pole. Mallakhamb can therefore be translated to English as pole gymnastics.

The earliest recorded reference to mallakhamb is found in Somesvara Chalukya's classic Manasollasa (1135 AD). Originally mallakhamb was used as a supporting exercise for wrestlers. Although known to have been practiced in medieval Maharasthra and Hyderabad, the sport does not become visible in practice and well recorded until the 18th century when it was revived by Balambhatdada Deodhar, the fitness instructor of Peshwa Baji Rao II during the reign of the Peshwas. His student Balambhattdada Deodhar realized that only major grips can be developed with a pole and thus used cane instead. Subsequently, the unavailability of cane resulted in rope mallakhamb. Today it is used more as a performance art rather than a method of training.

Source: Wikipedia

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