India – Traditional wrestling in India

In India, the traditional wrestling sport of Kushti takes place in clay or dirt pits prepared with moisture before practice. Kushti represents an ancient subculture where wrestlers live and train together under strict lifestyle rules, including dietary restrictions and prohibitions on drinking, smoking, and sexual activity. Emphasizing purity, physical strength, and wrestling skill, wrestlers are affiliated with gyms called akharas. Here, they follow disciplined routines and consume a diet of milk, almonds, ghee, eggs, and chapattis, with each wrestler helping to prepare meals. Despite declining popularity, many akharas remain, sustained by those dedicated to preserving this cultural heritage.