Pehlwani

Form of wrestling from the Indian subcontinent

印度式摔角 · クシュティー

Type

wrestling

Pehlwani, also known as Kushti, is a style of grappling and wrestling. It is a form of folk wrestling practiced in the Indian subcontinent. A practitioner of this sport is referred to as a pehlwan while teachers are known as ustad or guru.

Pehlwani is one of the sports that influenced catch wrestling, which in turn partially inspired folkstyle wrestling, freestyle wrestling, and mixed martial arts (MMA).

Notable Pehlwani athletes and practitioners

• The Great Gama Pakistan

External links

• Wikipedia
• Wikidata

Facts from Wikidata Q2404776 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.

Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.