New Delhi: Every year on August 29, National Sports Day is celebrated, making the birth anniversary of the legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand. The day honours the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand and also focuses on the importance of sports in our lives. India has a rich history of sports over the years, especially in ancient times. In this article, we will learn how sports thrived in our country in the ancient and the medieval period.
Sports in India in the ancient and medieval periods
The history of sports in India goes back to the Vedic period. India has always been a hub for activity in many aspects. In the 4th Century BCE, traditional sports like Kabaddi and Kho-Kho originated in India. In Dholavira which was part of the Indus Valley Civilisation, the oldest terraced arena in the world was built around 3000 BC. In ancient texts like the epic Mahabharata, sports like wrestling and archery have been mentioned. India is also the birthplace of some indoor games like Chess and Snakes and Ladders and they were known as Chaturanga and Gyan Chauper, respectively.
In Dholavira, researchers have identified two stadiums at the ancient site: One was probably a ceremonial ground while the other site was probably a small sports stadium. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, badminton, a sport which is so popular in today’s age developed from a game known as battledore and shuttlecock which favourite of children in England. Reportedly, ancient India was familiar with the game with a paddle acting as battledore and the shuttlecock was a small feathered cork.
In the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, both Lord Hanuman and Bhim were excellent fighters with the mace and were skilled wrestlers. Lord Balarama, the brother of Lord Krishna was a great teacher of fighting with the mace. In Mahabharata, Arjun, Karna and Ekalavya have been shown as expert archers. Today, archery is one of the key sports in the Olympic Games. When it comes to the history of sports in India, mention must be made of martial arts which was practised for military purposes. However, in ancient India, sports were restricted only to men and sometimes only to the Kshatriya caste. In south India, Kalaripayattu is practised to this day.
Board games like chess and snakes and ladders were invented in ancient India and were later brought to foreign countries. Chess originated in India as the Chaturanga and it taught people back then how to strategise for war, and there were spiritual values in other board games. Sports like Kabaddi and Kho-Kho originated in prehistoric times. There was reportedly a variant of tag-based games known as Atya-patya which were used for training in the military. During the Mughal rule in India, wrestling was developed by combining native malla-yuddha with Persian varzesh-e bastani.
National Sports Day honours the legacy of Major Dhyan Chand and also focuses on the importance of sports in our lives. India has a rich history of sports over the years, especially in ancient times. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
