मल्लपुराण (ज्येष्ठिमल्ल - प्राचीन भारतीय मल्लविद्या, अखाड़ा व्यायाम व कुश्ती महाग्रन्थ)

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Wrestling :
The wrestlers should put on the Āyudha on the fingers. It should be
knitted with thread. When the opponent is broken (defeated) the malla be-
comes victorious.
The Vajramuṣṭi wrestling is free fight which includes kicking, pressing with
knee, boxing on head, temple etc, but a hit below the chest is a foul game.
The wrestling is divided in four types (1) Dharaṇīpāta, (2) Āṣura, (3)
Nara, (4) Yuddha.
Dharaṇīpāta
Dharaṇīpāta is getting the opponent down on the earth, It is achieved by
the force of palm, arm or by throwing one's self down and then bringing down
the enemy. The fallen enemy is defeated.
Dharaṇīpāta type of wrestling seems to be the common wrestling where
victory and defeat consists in turning the opponent on the back. The wrestling
types such as Bhīmsenī and Hanumantī seem to be of this variety.
Āṣura :
This type is more fierce and seems to be a free-fight which includes injury
to ear and nose, felling of teeth, biting, pulling of hair, throwing earth, scratch-
ing with nails, catching the neck, breaking of fingers etc.
This type of wrestling is noted as Mathara, Masura also, it seems to be
equivalent to the Jarāsandhī variety known to-day. Such type leads to the fall
of the malla, but he should not be killed. That is Dharmayuddha. If a malla
dies the king is responsible. Once a malla falls on the ground the wrestling is
stopped. The other types are not described in the Purāṇa.
Wrestling grips
Several grips are indicated but their execution is not very clear, but
several throws can be indicated. The usual term for these grips is the lāga.
Generalised descriptions of wrestling are noted in Chapter 17.
Prize distribution
The wrestlers were given prizes. The victorious malla used to get twice
as much as the defeated. The equals used to get equal prize. After the prize
distribution the king used to return to the palace.
Mallas of Mallapurāṇa
It is clear from the Mallapurāṇa that the work is meant for the mallas,
who are now known as the Jyeṣṭhīmallas, Jyeṣṭhis or Jeṭhis. These mallas are
found in Gujarat, Mysore, Hyderabad and Rajasthan. They are a sub-caste of
the Moḍha Brāhmins i.e. the Brāhmins who migrated to other parts of Gujarat