Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c25.s2.72

v2.c25.s2.72

The other manly pastime which deserves special notice is wrestling. Paes informs us on many occasions that women knew wrestling in Vijayanagara. We have cited his description of the women who handled sword and shield, others who wrestled, and others who blew trumpets and pipes, while dealing with women.⁴ Then again we observed that, according to the same eye-witness, during the Mahānavami festival the dancing-women wrestled in a large arena in the presence of the nobles and the king. In the same connection he gives us further details about wrestling. "Then the wrestlers begin their play. Their wrestling does not seem like ours, but there are blows (given), so severe as to break teeth, and put out eyes, and disfigure faces, so much so that here and there men are carried off speechless by their friends; they give one another fine falls too. They have their captains and judges, who are there to put each one on an equal footing in the field, and also to adjust the honours to him who wins."⁵