Maarg Manthan · Topic 7.1

Various Types of Sports (Kho-Kho, Kabaddi, Mallakhamb)

Art & Culture › Martial Arts & Sports · Topic 7.1

Kho-Kho, Kabaddi and Mallakhamb are the best known traditional sports of India. Kho-Kho is a chase game from Maharashtra in which chasers sit in alternate directions and tag defenders; it held its first World Cup in New Delhi in January 2025. Kabaddi is a team contact sport of breath-held raiding, referred to in the Mahabharata story of Abhimanyu, played at the Asian Games since 1990 and commercialised by the Pro Kabaddi League from 2014. Mallakhamb is gymnastics on a wooden pole or rope, developed in Maharashtra in the early nineteenth century and declared the state sport of Madhya Pradesh.

7 min read · UPSC Prelims · Art & Culture · Martial Arts & Sports

At a Glance

Kho-Kho Chase game, Maharashtra, World Cup 2025
Kabaddi Raid and tackle, Asian Games from 1990
Mallakhamb Pole gymnastics, state sport of Madhya Pradesh
Promotion Khelo India, Pro Kabaddi League
National Sports Day 29 August
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Art and Culture: Martial Arts & Sports

Where Does It Fit?

This is the first topic of the macro on martial arts and sports. It deals with the indigenous mass sports that need little equipment, and sets the base for the topics on martial arts and jallikattu-kambala-bulbul-fighting/" class="maargx-auto-link" data-preview="At a Glance Jallikattu Tamil Nadu, bull taming, Pongal Kambala Karnataka coast, buffalo race Bulbul fighting Assam, Hajo, Magh Bihu Key case…">animal sports that follow. Previous topic: Tribal Puppetry. Next topic: Genesis of Martial Arts in India.

What Are the Main Traditional Sports of India?

Sport	Origin and features	Facts to remember
Kho-Kho	Maharashtra. Nine players of a team are on the field, of whom eight sit in alternate directions in a central lane and one chaser runs. Defenders try to avoid being touched	The Akhil Maharashtra Sharirik Shikshan Mandal framed written rules in 1914. The Kho-Kho Federation of India was formed in 1959. First Kho-Kho World Cup: New Delhi, January 2025, won by India in both men and women sections
Kabaddi	Ancient India, linked with the Tamil name for holding hands and with the Mahabharata episode of Abhimanyu inside the Chakravyuha. A raider enters the other half chanting kabaddi in one breath, touches opponents and returns	Seven players per side. Included in the Asian Games at Beijing in 1990. State game of Tamil Nadu. Pro Kabaddi League began in 2014
Mallakhamb	Maharashtra. Gymnastics and yoga-like holds on a vertical wooden pole, hanging pole or rope. The word means the pole of the wrestler	Credited to Balambhatt Dada Deodhar in the time of Peshwa Bajirao II. Declared state sport of Madhya Pradesh. Performed in Khelo India events
Gilli-danda	Rural game with a small stick and a tipcat struck with a larger stick	Seen across North India and often called the ancestor of cricket-like games
Pehlwani (Kushti)	Indian wrestling in earthen pits, called akhadas, with a Persian and Mughal influence	Rustam-e-Hind is a known title. Hanuman is the patron deity

How Are These Sports Played and Governed?

Aspect	Detail
Kho-Kho format	two teams of twelve are listed with nine in the field. Matches have two innings, each of a chasing turn and a defending turn. The team that scores more points by touching out defenders wins
Kabaddi format	two halves of twenty minutes with a break. Raiders score by touching defenders; defenders score by stopping the raider. The raider must cross the baulk line and keep chanting without breaking the breath
Circle and standard style	the circle style kabaddi of India is played on larger ground with different rules than the standard style of leagues and Asian Games
Mallakhamb types	pole mallakhamb, hanging mallakhamb and rope mallakhamb. Routines include holds, turns, jumps and dismounts
Governing bodies	the Kho-Kho Federation of India, the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India and the Mallakhamb Federation of India work with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
Asian recognition	Kabaddi has been a medal event at the Asian Games since 1990, and India has won most men gold medals; Kho-Kho and Mallakhamb are promoted in national games and Khelo India
Equipment	very little: a marked ground, a pole or rope, a pair of posts for Kho-Kho. This is why they spread in villages and schools
Skill built	speed, agility, balance, strength and flexibility

What Else Should You Remember?

Alternate names: Kho-Kho is also written Kho Kho; Kabaddi is called Hu-Tu-Tu in Maharashtra, Chedugudu in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Hadudu in Bengal and Kauddi in Punjab; Mallakhamb is also written Malkhamb or Mallakhamba
Place of origin in brief: Mallakhamb and Kho-Kho are credited to Maharashtra, Kabaddi to ancient India with Tamil Nadu and Punjab forms, and Pehlwani to the akhadas of North India
Pro Kabaddi League: started in 2014 as a franchise league and made kabaddi a television sport; it is a good example of modern commercial promotion of a traditional game
Kho-Kho World Cup: the first edition was held in New Delhi in January 2025 with teams from many countries, and India won both the men and the women titles
Khelo India: the national programme for grassroots sports. Its games include indigenous disciplines such as Kalaripayattu, Gatka, Thang-Ta and Mallakhamb, as in Forms of Traditional Martial Arts
Yogasana: recognised as a competitive sport by the sports ministry in 2020, linked with the revival of traditional physical culture
National Sports Day: observed on 29 August, the birth anniversary of hockey player Major Dhyan Chand
No official national sport: India has no officially notified national sport, although hockey is often called the national game in popular use. This fact is asked as a trap
Other traditional games: Pachisi or Chaupar, which Akbar played in a living form at Fatehpur Sikri; chess, which grew from the Gupta-era chaturanga; Lagori; Atya-patya
Polo and Sagol Kangjei: Manipur has a pony game called Sagol Kangjei, often linked with the origin of modern polo
Vallam Kali: snake boat races of Kerala, a water sport tied to festivals such as Onam
Sports and religion: many games began as festival or training activity of warriors, wrestlers and villagers, as the links with Hanuman worship and akhada culture show
Arjuna and Dronacharya Awards: national sports honours; traditional sports such as Kabaddi and Mallakhamb coaches and players have been recipients
Sports in Constitution: sports is a State subject in the Seventh Schedule, while the Centre supports through schemes and the Sports Authority of India

Why Does It Matter for the Exam?

State link: Mallakhamb with Madhya Pradesh, Kabaddi with Tamil Nadu, Kho-Kho with Maharashtra
Dates: Kabaddi at the Asian Games in 1990, Pro Kabaddi League in 2014, Kho-Kho World Cup in 2025
Equipment and format: team size, pole types and the chanting rule
Policy: Khelo India and promotion of indigenous sports
Common errors: calling Kabaddi the national game, or placing Mallakhamb in Karnataka rather than Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

As an analytical point, low-cost indigenous sports offer a practical route to mass participation, fitness and rural talent discovery. They need league formats, school inclusion and coaching standards so that revival is not limited to a few television events.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Facts State and year questions
Policy Khelo India and promotion
Mains Soft power of sports

What Came Next?

The next topic traces the beginnings of Indian martial arts. Next topic: Genesis of Martial Arts in India.

Key People and Terms

Raider Attacker in Kabaddi
Akhada Wrestling training place
Baulk line Line a raider must cross
Khelo India Grassroots sports programme
Chaser Tagger in Kho-Kho
Pole mallakhamb Gymnastics on a fixed pole

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Kabaddi at the Asian Games from 1990.
Pro Kabaddi League from 2014.
First Kho-Kho World Cup: 2025, New Delhi.
Mallakhamb: state sport of Madhya Pradesh.
National Sports Day: 29 August.

Do Not Confuse With

Kho-Kho and Kabaddi Chasing and tagging versus raiding and tackling
Mallakhamb and Kalaripayattu Pole gymnastics versus a martial art of Kerala
Circle and standard Kabaddi Traditional ground rules versus league and Asian Games rules

Memory Hook

Chase in Kho-Kho, chant in Kabaddi, climb in Mallakhamb.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about promotion of indigenous sports and their role in culture and health. These points give a balanced frame.

Heritage Rural roots and identity
Promotion Leagues, Khelo India, schools
Soft power World Cups and Asian Games

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Discuss the role of traditional sports such as Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and Mallakhamb in Indian culture and the measures needed to promote them.”

How to Answer

Heritage Origins and regions.
Revival Leagues and World Cups.
Policy Khelo India and schools.
Way Coaching and mass participation.

GS Relevance

Prelims: traditional Indian sports, origin, rules, events and recent news. GS Paper 1: Indian heritage and culture, aspects of sports and physical culture in India.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are traditional sports important for UPSC?

They matter because Prelims asks for the state, origin, rules and year of Kabaddi, Kho-Kho and Mallakhamb, while Mains asks about promoting indigenous sports through Khelo India, leagues and schools. Recent events such as the 2025 Kho-Kho World Cup and the Pro Kabaddi League give current links.

What is the difference between circle style and standard style Kabaddi?

Circle style Kabaddi is the traditional Indian form played on a large ground with a continuous chant and different tagging rules. Standard style is the shorter mat-based form played in leagues and the Asian Games, with seven players per side, two halves of twenty minutes and defined scoring for raids and tackles.

What is Mallakhamb and which state declared it a state sport?

Mallakhamb is a traditional gymnastic sport in which an athlete performs holds, turns and dismounts on a vertical wooden pole, a hanging pole or a rope. It developed in Maharashtra in the early nineteenth century and was declared the state sport of Madhya Pradesh.

When did Kabaddi enter the Asian Games?

Kabaddi entered the Asian Games at Beijing in 1990 as a men team event. India has won most of the men gold medals since then. The Pro Kabaddi League, launched in 2014, later made the sport a major television event in the country.

How is Kho-Kho played?

Kho-Kho is a chase game between two teams. Eight chasers of the attacking team sit in alternate directions along a central lane while one chaser runs to tag defenders. Defenders enter in small groups and try to avoid being touched. The team scoring more points wins.

Which sport has Kabaddi been linked with in the Mahabharata?

Kabaddi is traditionally linked with the episode of Abhimanyu in the Chakravyuha formation, where one warrior was surrounded by many opponents. This tale is cited as an ancient reference to the raid-and-tackle idea, though the modern rules are of the twentieth century.

Does India have an official national sport?

No. The Government of India has not notified any sport as the national sport, though hockey is often called the national game in popular use. Many state governments have declared state sports, such as Mallakhamb in Madhya Pradesh and Kabaddi in Tamil Nadu.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 Mallakhamb is the state sport of Madhya Pradesh.

True

It was declared a state sport and is promoted in the state.

2 Kabaddi has been officially declared the national sport of India.

False

India has no notified national sport.

3 Kabaddi was included in the Asian Games in 1990.