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.
Gatka is a traditional South Asian form of combat-training in which wooden sticks are used to simulate swords in sparring matches. In modern usage, it commonly refers to the northern Indian martial arts, which should more properly be called shastar vidiyā.
In English, the terms gatka and shastar vidya are very often used specifically in relation to the Panjabi-Sikh method of fighting. In actuality, the art is not unique to any particular ethno-cultural group or religion but has been the traditional form of combat throughout north India and Pakistan since at least the 6th century BC. Attacks and counterattacks vary from one community to another but the basic techniques are the same. This article will primarily use the extended definition of gatka, making it synonomous with shastar vidya.
Source: Wikipedia
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