Rooted in the earth, Indian traditional mud wrestling thrives

In this photograph taken on May 1, 2025, wrestler Mauli Jamdade (on top) pins his opponent Bala Rafique Shaikh during the final match of a wrestling competition at Shirwal in Satara district of India's Maharashtra state. - AFP

KOLHAPUR: Crowds cheer as muscular men in loincloths slap sacred scented soil on their bulging thighs and arms for a mud wrestling bout in India.

"When we fight, we sweat," said 33-year-old Mauli Jamdade, a wrestling star in Maharashtra state, rubbing red-brown earth onto his body for each clash.