WebVision

Welcome

Hunting, swimming, boating, archery, horse riding, wrestling and fishing mark the stage of infancy of Indian Sports (Games). Then came the Martial Arts which was also a strong way of self defence apart from a vigorous physical exercise.In India, sports (games) is seen as 'a way of realizing the body potential to its fullest'; also known as "Dehvada" in ancient India. The philosophical foundation of the sports (games) in India lies in the history of India dating back to Vedic Era in which the Atharva Veda said:, "Duty is in my right hand and the fruits of victory in my left". These words in the traditional mantra hold the same spirit as that of the Olympic oath that implies: "....... For the Honour of my Country and the Glory of Sport. " The history of India also beckons of an interesting link between Greece (The Motherland of Sports in the world) and India which dates back to 975 BC when both the nations pioneered in the sports (games) like chariot racing and wrestling.

The golden history of sports in India is also evident in the immortal Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata etc. Whereas during the period of Ramayana; hunting, archery, horse riding, swimming were the royal games; Mahabharata made a mark in the sports like dicing, gymnastics, wrestling, chess (Shatranj) and gulli danda. Puranas mention about the threatening game of rope fighting. The archeological excavations of Harappa and Mohanjodaro along with the religious manuscripts like Puranas and Vedas are the standing testimonials of this glorious history of Indian sports.

People took much interest in games during this period. Ayodhya, Kiskindha and Lanka the three great places related with this period were centers of many games and sports. Chariot-riding and horse-riding were popular. Hunting was taken as a royal sport. Swimming was also popular and it is learnt that Ravana had a beautiful swimming pool in Asoka Vatika where he used to sport. Gambling with dices was also well known. "Chaturang" or chess as we call it today developed during this period and India is proud to be called the homeland of this great sport. Ball games were popular with the women.Special mention has been made of games and gymnastics during this period. Jumping, arms contracting, wrestling, playing with balls, hide and seek, chasing animals were some of the games prevalent during this period. Ball games were popular and it is said that Lord Krishna played ball-games with maidens on the banks of the Yamuna. "Iti-Danda" or "Gullidanda" was also one of the games played and it involves one long and one short stick. Bhima was well versed in this and this is similar to the present day cricket. There is also a mention of the Kauravas and the Pandavas playing Gulli Danda in the Mahabharata.

The games stay put until in 1890, a young Frenchmen named Pierre de Coubertin organized and founded a sports organization, Union des Sociétés Francaises de Sports Athlétiques (USFSA). Two years later, Coubertin first put forward his idea to revive the Olympic Games. Although initially his proposal did not invoke an interest, his persistence won when in 1894, at a meeting of the Union des Sports Athlétiques with 79 delegates representing nine countries, the delegates voted unanimously for the Olympic Games. It was also decided to have Coubertin construct an international committee to organize the Games. This committee became the International Olympic Committee (IOC; Comité Internationale Olympique) and Demetrious Vikelas from Greece was selected to be its first president. Demetrios Vikelas and Evangelos Zappas were among those who made efforts for the revival of Olympic games. Thus the Olympic Games revived after around 1500 years, was held in Panathenaic stadium in Athens in the first week of April 1896 and came to be known as the Modern Olympic games. Since then, this game has been held enthusiastically every four years in different participating countries and acts as a medium for encouraging cordial relationships between the countries.