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

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century A. D. suggest that Vajramuṣṭī mallas were already seen in south India
by this period. The inhabitants at this village adhere to the tradition that they
migrated from Moḍhera to this place.
The existence of mallas in mediaeval period is known from another im-
portant source, the Manasollasa, an encyclopaedic Sanskrit work by Somesvara
composed in the first half of the 12th century A.D. Somesvara, notes the four-
fold division of the mallas but is silent upon the place of their origin. Hence
this work shows the existence of Jyeṣṭhīmallas. The other contemporary
evidence suggests that some of them had already spread over larger area in
Western India.
In Gujarat proper Abhayatilaka Gaṇi (13th century A.D.), mentions
Āyudhajīvī Brāhmaṇas (Brahmins living on arms) in his commentary on
Dvyāśraya, a historical poem, by the great savant Hemacandra, describing the
annals of the Chaulukyas of Gujarat. Another tradition mentions that they
formed the vanguard in the army of Chaulukyas of Gujarat. These evidences
certainly suggest their existence and importance in that age.
There are interesting literary references to the Mallas in old Gujarati. In
Hansauli a work written in Samvat 1417 (1361 A.D.) the terms Mala and Jeṭhī
are used as synonyms. They are noted here as massagists.
In Samvat 1529 (1473 A.D.), Kāyastha Keshavadasa of Prabhās Pāṭaṇ
refers to Jeṭhīs in his Kṛṣṇalīlākāvya as wrestlers.
Bhīma in Samvat 1541 (1485 A.C.) mentions in his Harilīlāṣoḍaśakalā the
term Jeṭhī for the Mallas.
In 16th century A.D. the Jeṭhīmallas are referred to by Nākāra in a simile
to describe the fierce fight between Vālī and Sugrīva.
In North Gujarat the expression "The jeṭhīmallas are fighting" is used to
denote any severe duel between two fighters. This evidence is interesting to
show the popularity of wrestling of the mallas.
That these jeṭhīs living in 16th century in Gujarat were renowned athletes
could be very well proved by a reference in Ain-e-Akabari. Here there is a
specific mention of Gujarati Mallas alongwith persian and Turani Wrestlers.
These mallas were considered to do wonderful feats. Their pay varied from 70
to 450 dirhams (Ain-e-Akabari, Trans. H. Blochman, Calcutta, 1873, p. 253).
The association of Akber with these mallas is noted in a tradition current
in the Malla community. Akber knew the jyeṣṭhīmallas as Pahalwans, so he
arranged a wrestling bout between his wrestlers and the jyeṣṭhīmallas. One
Lākhāji was asked to wrestle, and he successfully defeated the wrestler of the
Emperor. Then Akber asked Lākhāji to uproot a Neem tree. He did it to