MORNING ROUTINE 4AM-10AM
Waking up before dawn, the pahelwan typically ran a few miles to build up his stamina. After brushing his teeth, he bathed before spending some time in contemplation or prayer. In order to enter the sacred space of the akhara he would don the wrestler’s habit, the loincloth (‘langot’) and anoint his body with oil.
The preparation of the actual akhara pit would follow. It was dug with a heavy hoe and raked to remove any rocks. The consistency achieved was excellent for protecting the body; at the same time it was not so loose as to impede a pahelwan’s movement. The akhara would be blessed with a sprinkling of buttermilk, oil and red ochre before the training proper commenced.
Next came the ‘jor’ (literally ‘strength’), a form of wrestling that combined elements of practice, training and exercise to developed stamina as well as strength. Pahelwans would be paired off by the ‘guru’, ‘ustad’ or ‘khalifa’ to grapple under close supervision and instruction. The objective was for each pahelwan to throw his opponent down to the ground through the correct application of particular moves. Each move was countered by a defensive move and this sparring continued indefinitely. Unlike a competitive bout, both wrestlers tended to work together so that moves could be applied with precision and executed smoothly with a minimum of effort.
After two or three hours of jor, the pahelwan would rub his body with the earth of the akhara to dry perspiration and partake of its reinvigorating and healing qualities. As the earth dried, it would be scraped off by other pahelwans. He would then bathe and eat before taking some well-earned rest.
EVENING ROUTINE
Diet, recuperation (10 am to 2 pm) & late afternoon training (2 to 6 pm)
In the time from when the morning practice session ended until the evening exercise session began, a pahelwan had to rest, eat and sleep. Although this was a passive part of the pahelwan’s regime, it was important for his recuperation and physical development.
Milk, clarified butter (‘ghee’) and ground almonds comprised the holy trinity of the pahelwan's diet. Some advocated a purely vegetarian diet, while others happily consumed chickens, mutton and a special boiled-down meat soup (‘yakhni’). In a typical day, it was not unusual for a pahelwan to consume half a pound of both ghee and almonds for breakfast, a pound of meat soup made from one chicken, and two loaves of bread for lunch. The same again was eaten for dinner. A large hearty meal was followed by a drought of a cool drink (‘thandai’) made of mixed substances, usually milk, nuts and fruits.
After eating, the pahelwan took a short nap and rested for a couple of hours during the afternoon before commencing his next session of training.
Having eaten, rested, defecated and bathed, the pahelwan returned to the akhara in the afternoon to perform virayam consisting of various individual exercises to build up strength, stamina and flexibility of joints. These were performed religiously.
At the core of this regimen were ‘dands’ (jack-knifing press-ups) and ‘baitaks’ (squats). Although they were two different exercises, dands and baitaks together constituted the core wrestling virayam regimen. Since they provided a complete body workout they were usually referred to as a pair, i.e. dand-baitaks. A good wrestler in the prime of life would perform a minimum of 1,000 dands a day, but more often performing 1,500. As a general rule, the best pahelwans did twice as many baitaks as dands, thus averaging between 2,000 and 3,000 squats a day. This regime made the muscles of the body so incredibly strong that the wrestler appeared divine.
