Mukna is a form of
folk wrestling
A folk wrestling style is any traditional style of wrestling, which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most cultures have developed regional forms of grappling.
Europe
Britain
Traditionally wrestling has two main centres in Great ...
from the
north-east India
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n state of
Manipur
Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...
. It is popular in
Imphal
Imphal ( Meitei pronunciation: /im.pʰal/; English pronunciation: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Manipur. The metropolitan centre of the city contains the ruins of Kangla Palace (also known as Kangla Fort), the royal seat of the fo ...
,
Thoubal
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and
Bishnupur. The game is generally played on the last day of the
Lai Haraoba
Lai Haraoba is a festival associated with the Meitei people celebrated to please the Umang Lai, the traditional deities of Sanamahism. Translated, Lai Haraoba means ''merry making of the Gods'' in Meiteilon. In this festival, the people worship ...
festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.
History
The mythological origin according to
Meiteis
The Meitei people, also known as the Manipuri people,P.20: "historically, academically and conventionally Manipuri prominently refers to the Meetei people."P.24: "For the Meeteis, Manipuris comprise Meeteis, Lois, Kukis, Nagas and Pangal." is ...
trace back to
Puya Puya may refer to:
* ''Puya'' (plant), in the family Bromeliaceae
* Puya (river), in Russia
* Puya, a variety of Guajillo chili
* ''Puya'' (Meitei texts), traditional or mythological texts of the Meetei people
* ''Culoepuya'' or ''Culo'e Puya'', V ...
manuscripts such as ''Leithal'', ''Leikharol'', and ''Pudin''.
It is thought to have originated in Moirang Kangleirol, in which Khamba and Nongban were two legendary figures in Mukna.
Sport
Matches begin with the competitors holding each other's belts called ''ningri''. The object is to pin the opponent with their back touching the ground. The winner is called a ''yatra''.
Mukna contains many techniques (''lou'') which require absolute physical fitness and skill to be mastered.
Holding the opponent's neck, hair, ear or legs with the hands is not permitted. Any strikes are also considered fouls. Anyone who touches the ground with any part of their body besides the feet is declared the loser.
Wrestlers are paired according to weight-class. The traditional attire not only protects the players' vital points but also helps to identify the ''pana'' or the ''yek'' to which the wrestler belongs.
It is popular in Kakching Haraoba, Chakpa Haraoba among others. The game is generally played on the last day of the
Lai Haraoba
Lai Haraoba is a festival associated with the Meitei people celebrated to please the Umang Lai, the traditional deities of Sanamahism. Translated, Lai Haraoba means ''merry making of the Gods'' in Meiteilon. In this festival, the people worship ...
festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.
See also
*
Akhara
Akhara or Akhada (Sanskrit and Hindi: अखाड़ा, shortened to ''khara'' Hindi: खाड़ा) is an Indian word for a place of practice with facilities for boarding, lodging and training, both in the context of Indian martial artists o ...
*
Boli Khela
Boli Khela or Bali Khela ( bn, বলীখেলা) is a traditional form of wrestling in Bangladesh, particularly popular in the Chittagong area considered as a national game of the district. It is a form of combat sport involving grappling ...
*
Gatta Gusthi
Gatta gusthi is a form of submission wrestling practiced in Kerala, India. It is competed inside an open ring on the ground, usually on a beach, known as ''godha''. Wrestlers are called '' phayalvans''. The sport consists of around 100 techniques ...
*
Inbuan
*
Malakhra
Malakhro ( sd, ملاکڙو) is an ancient Sindhi form of wrestling in Sindh, which dates back 5000 years. The match begins with both wrestlers tying a twisted cloth around the opponent's waist. Each one then holds onto the opponent's waist clot ...
*
Malla-yuddha
Malla-yuddha (Sanskrit: मल्लयुद्ध, ) is the traditional form of combat-wrestling originating in India. It is closely related to Southeast Asian wrestling styles such as naban and is one of the two ancestors of kushti. Indian wr ...
*
Pehlwani
Pehlwani, (पहलवानी) also known as Kushti, is a form of wrestling contested in South Asia. It was developed in the Mughal Empire by combining Persian Koshti pahlevani with influences from native Indian Malla-yuddha. The words ''pe ...
*
Thang-Ta
Huyen langlon is an Indian martial art from Manipur. In the Meitei language, means war while or can mean net, knowledge or art. consists of two main components: thang-ta (armed combat) and sarit sarak (unarmed fighting). The primary weapons ...
*
Vajra-mushti
Vajra-musti (Sanskrit:, "thunder fist" or "diamond fist") refers to a "fist-load, knuckleduster-like" weapon and also a form of Indian wrestling in which the weapon is employed. The weapon is sometimes called ''Indra-musti'' which means Indra's fi ...
References
Folk wrestling styles
Combat sports
Indian martial arts
Traditional sports of India
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