Mysore/Mysuru: Vajra Mushti Kalaga, the form of wrestling that pre-dates to princely Mysore era, came alive with the fight between two pairs of wrestlers at Savari Thotti in the Palace premises yesterday.
The nail-biting bout that is, for Vajra Mushti Kalaga spanning a history of 413 years (some say it is 414), without any break since 1610 AD (The year then king Raja Wadiyar started Dasara in Srirangapatna), wrestler Venkatesh Jatti of Chamarajanagar fought with wrestler Pramod Jatti from Bengaluru and wrestler Pradeep Jatti of Mysuru against wrestler Praveen Jatti of Channapatna.
Even as Mysore Royal Family Member Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar watched the bouts from Kalyana Mantapa, his mother Pramoda Devi Wadiyar and wife Trishikha Kumari Wadiyar and other members of the family watched from the upstairs of the Palace. Mysuru District Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa, DC Dr. K.V. Rajendra and City Police Commissioner B. Ramesh also watched the bouts, with the people gathered around catching every moves of the wrestlers without batting eyelids.
As is the tradition associated with this form of wrestling, the wrestler who inflicts wound on the forehead of his opponent with a sharp edged weapon held in the fist, causing the blood to spill, will be declared a winner.
Likewise Pramod Jatti won over Venkatesh Jatti and Praveen Jatti won over Pradeep Jatti. Yaduveer also handed over the bhakshis (money) to the winning wrestlers.
This post was published on October 25, 2023 7:32 pm