Mukna is a form of folk wrestling

Folk wrestling

A folk wrestling style is a traditional wrestling discipline which may or may not be codified as a modern sport. Most human cultures have developed their own sort of grappling style unique from other styles practiced...

 from the north-east India

North-East India

Northeast India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States, Sikkim, and parts of North Bengal...

n state of Manipur

Manipur

Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...

. It is popular in Imphal

Imphal

Imphal is the capital of the Indian state of Manipur.In the heart of the town and surrounded by a moat, are ruins of the old Palace of Kangla. Kangla Fort used to be the home of the Assam Rifles, a paramilitary force and on November 2004 it was handed over to state of Manipur by Prime minister Dr....

, Thoubal

Thoubal

Thoubal is a city, a municipal council with 18 municipal wards and District Headquarter in Thoubal district in the Indian state of Manipur. The new market building has been constructing. Main tourist places are Chinga Lairembi temple, Manipur Sahitya Samiti building, Tomjing ching, Panthoibee...

 and Bishnupur

Bishnupur

-Kingdoms:*Bishnupur kingdom in what is today Bankura District, Bengal, India.-CD Blocks:* Bishnupur, Bankura - in Bankura district, West Bengal* Bishnupur I - in South 24 Parganas district, West Bengal...

. The game is generally played on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.

Matches begin with the competitors holding each other's belts called ningri. The object is to pin the opponent with their back touching the ground. The winner is called a yatra. Mukna contains many techniques (lou) which require absolute physical fitness and skill to be mastered. Holding the opponent's neck, hair, ear or legs with the hands is not permitted. Any strikes are also considered fouls. Anyone who touches the ground with any part of their body besides the feet is declared the loser.
Wrestlers are paired according to weight-class. The traditional attire not only protects the players' vital points but also helps to identify the pana or the yek, to which the wrestler belongs.

See also

• Indian martial arts
  Indian martial arts
  The Indian subcontinent is home to a variety of fighting styles. In Sanskrit they may be collectively referred to as ' or '. The former is a compound of the words and , meaning "knowledge of the sword" or "knowledge of weaponry"...
  
  
• Malla-yuddha
  Malla-yuddha
  ' is the traditional South Asian form of combat-wrestling created in what is now India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka...
  
  
• Sarit Sarak
• Thang-Ta
  Thang-Ta
  Thang-ta or huyen lallong is a weapon-based Indian martial art created by the Meitei of Manipur. In the Manipuri language, thang means sword and ta means spear. As its name implies, the sword and spear are the primary weapons in thang-ta. The spear can be used in its non-missile form while in close...