During the Mughal period physical fitness was given prime importance, especially by the kings and the higher class warriors. The Mughal emperors were patrons of hunting and wrestling. References are found which indicate that wrestlers were part of a ruler’s estate. Indications are that wrestlers were paid a regular stipend and were also given provisions for maintaining themselves (Beveridge 1921: 656, 660, 683; Blochmann 1873–1948: 253; Mujumdar 1950: 16; T. N. Roy 1939). In turn they were called upon to entertain the royal court. Bouts were organized with wrestlers from other courts. The Agra fort and the Red Fort were the popular venues of many wrestling bouts in the times of Emperor Shahjahan.
During the Maratha period, Chattrapati Shivaji`s guru, Samarth Ramdas, built several Hanuman temples all over Maharashtra, for the promotion of physical culture among the youth. The best account of a royal akhara for this period is that of Nanasaheb Peshwa. According to Mujumdar his akhara was equipped with twenty-four different pieces of exercise equipment (ibid: 21). Bajirao II also built and maintained a fully equipped akhara and established Balambhaat Dada Deodhar as the guru of this facility. Later Deodhar and his disciples moved to Banaras where they established an akhara now known as Kon Bhatt Akhara in the Bibihatia neighborhood. Although the evidence is scant it would be a fair to say that court wrestlers during the Mogul and Maratha periods were kept as entertainers and as symbols of royal power. The same was true for princely states of the more modern period of British Rule.
According to contemporary wrestlers, the art of wrestling would have died out completely had it not been for royal patronage.
Credit(UC Press E-Books Collection, University of California Press.)
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