The Swirled Revival of Mudgars in the Indian fitness culture

It was more than ten years ago that Guru Pashupati was living in the mountains of Nepal when he first started practicing for Mudgars with his Guru. With a Mudgar in one hand, at the time of the interview, he fondly remembers how he would practice with branches and tree trunks at that time. From pilates to aqua yoga, from CrossFit to bhangra-fitness, this is the era where the meaning of fitness training keeps evolving. But when athletes and fitness enthusiasts started flaunting exercises with Mudgar, it was a sight to see.

Not long ago, social media was abuzz with people taking up various Indian traditional equipments for fitness training, and Mudgars were competing for the top spot, something that was once preferred by Indian Pehelwans. Mysore resident, Guru Pashupati now has been practising with mudgars for a very long time and considers his classes, one of the reasons for it becoming the trend among fitness enthusiasts.

The spiritual guru and martial arts practitioner, Guru Pashupati had started the classes to help one of his teachers get students as he enjoys a good following, both in the yoga world and on social media. "Mudgars is a very traditional training equipment for warriors because it mimics battle implements well. A mudgar mimics a sword, and it has a weight," the 49-year-old says.

From warriors to young-age fitness freaks 

In recent times, training with this traditional equipment has gained popularity. From the akharas (wrestling arenas), Mudgars made their way into gyms and various fitness spaces where cricketers, actors, and fitness enthusiasts could be seen using it. So, where does it come from? According to various documentation, the roots trace back to the ancient sculptures of Mudgar Yakshas depicting them holding these instruments. It is believed that even soldiers, back in time, would practice strength training with Mudgars to keep their muscles under tension for longer durations.

Also called the 'karlakattai' in southern India or 'mugur' in eastern India, these wooden clubs are of varied weights and were mostly used to train the shoulders. Historically, the practice of using such clubs has been popular across parts of Asia as one finds similar equipment in Iran, called the 'meel' used in the zurkanehs, which is the regional counterpart of Indian akharas. Legend has it that the Persian emperor Cyrus also used the meel to train his army. It was considered that the meels were two to three times heavier than the swords. They would use it in battle and for their practice to keep their muscles under tension for longer periods.

Lifting the Mudgar up in the hand and talking to Local Samosa, Guru Pashupati shares, "The swords of the warriors would weigh around 20 kilos or even more. I think the sword of Maharana Pratap was around 40 kilos. Hence, they would practice with such heavier equipment." He adds that it takes a long time of training for one to be that strong. "It is almost a training to make one warrior," Guru Pashupati further states.

Haresh Punjabi, a 36-year-old Pune resident says, "It was a radical journey for me to get myself involved in physical training; starting from cycling, half marathons to yoga and Mudgars". Punjabi has learned practicing Mudgars from Guru Pashupati. 

How did Mudgars enter into the modern fitness training? 

While it's hard to pinpoint exactly when the culture of using Mudgars revived, it can be traced back to the time when athletes, celebrities, and content creators began using and advocating them, perhaps, especially since the lockdown. However, Guru Pashupati goes even back and says that "the movement that is happening now is all part of decolonisation". "The colonials might have left in 1947 but the culture continued and it continued to dominate over various aspects of the lifestyles," he says. 

Sharing his observations, Haresh Punjabi, who has now been practicing Mudgars for the last four years says, "There is a wave of connecting with the ancient roots, the revival of Mudgars is a part of it." Whether or not their judgments can be termed fair, the Indian culture is indeed observing a great revival of various traditional and cultural elements due to various socio-political movements. 

Mudgars being one, various experts mention that a full range of motion is needed for the Mudgar, not just a single direction of movement. As Mudgars are swung away from the body, one needs to engage the core and exert more effort to lift them. Traditional wooden Mudgars are said to offer various health benefits. Unlike barbells or dumbbells, which have equal weight distributed on both sides, the entire weight of Mudgars is stacked on one side. Such equipment demands more single-leg and arm movements, enhancing balance and strength. What does this also mean? That there is little room for the body to cheat during exercises!

The swinging element in these workouts with Mudgars helps increase resilience to injuries by training the body to move in all three planes of motion that it is naturally designed for. The body becomes better adapted to managing high-impact movements without compromising balance. This is one of the reasons why it is gaining popularity among athletes, as swinging is considered one of the best functional movements for them.

Another reason for their current popularity is the fact that the loss of overhead movements has led many people to deal with shoulder issues, including limited mobility, susceptibility to injuries, and lack of strength. It is proven that training with this wooden equipment ensures overhead movements, leading to stronger, more flexible, and injury-resilient shoulders.

Punjabi, about his experiences, says, "When I started practising initially, I did not feel my hips. Mudgars are a single piece of equipment for strength training, mobility, and for muscle gain."

There is no doubt that fitness freaks today focus a lot on stabiliser muscles that play a crucial part in distributing the load and impact of various movements throughout the body. And, that is where mudgars come in handy! Training with Mudgars help athletes with multiplanar movements, engaging stabiliser muscles in a way that no other equipment can replicate.

It is no surprise that with Mudgars, the constant movement of a center of mass in all directions challenges the body and helps strengthen the lower body as well. Perhaps, it might be because of these daily problems and the need for regular body movements that mudgars gained attention at the current time. Now, it has almost become a ritual to see athletes training with Mudgars.

One of Guru Pashupati's students, Rajdeep had made it to the cricket team for New Jersey League after practicing with Mudgars and another is going to make a debut in the IPL as the Guru tells Local Samosa. "It is for you to pull the bow and have the strength to string the bow and shoot it. It is for you to be able to handle a spear and throw a javelin as far as you can. It is for sportspersons," he comments adding that a few of his students are badminton players and boxers.

This traditional equipment has also made its way to those seeking an alternative to traditional gym workouts and also those who are recovering from chronic pain. It is all about the versatility and ability to cater to various fitness levels and goals making it a special and highly effective training method. 

However, Guru Pashupati is of the opinion that Mudgars are not for the fitness industry. "The fitness spaces train every muscle but the mudgars do help in training specific muscles. It is good for wrestlers and for martial arts," For the fitness enthusiasts who might be looking for the same results from Mudgars as given by the gyms, he says, "Mudgars do not give six-pack abs. The wrestlers who practice with Mudgars have big bellies and hence, one should not expect those from Mudgars," he adds taking a jibe that had Mudgars be helping with six packs, "men will be practicing just Mudgars".

Adding to it, Punjabi says, "Mudgars double the energy in you. It does not happen with the gym training."

Mudgars as business

Be the results as it may, it is due to the revival of the Mudgars that various fitness clubs and places have started organising separate workshops or even dedicating their spaces to Mudgars. 'Tagda Raho', which started in Bengaluru and later expanded to Pune, also focuses on reinventing Indian workouts with a special focus on Mudgars. 

Guru Pashupati, who took the Mudgar classes for a few years, however, believes that there is no growth for a trainer in the Mudgars business. "There's no creativity and there is nothing you can sell apart from the mudgars. There is no growth for the teacher in this industry," he says. Continuing further, he says, "There are teachers taking one, two, and three-level courses of Mudgars but it does not amount to a profitable business."

Talking about the trend and comparing it with the popularity of yoga in India, he says, "It is never going to become like yoga unless the industry is organised to take the form of a business." "Yoga was popularised as a trend because it was organised and offered various levels of growth," says Pashupati, who is currently running a podcast focused on translating 'Yoga Sutra'. 

On the other hand, Guru Pashupati shares that the younger generation has been interested in learning Gada, an equipment, which is associated with the mythological character from Ramayana, Lord Hanuman. Citing the reason, he says, "When a popular image or a personality is connected to equipment like these, it works better in motivating people."

However, it is recommended to always consult doctors before starting with Mudgar training and professional assistance, without which, the decision can land one into trouble. Narrating one incident, Guru Pashupati says, "One student of mine had bought a five-kg Mudgar, without consulting me because he did not realise that he had to start with one and a half kg of Mudgars first. People think that if they can lift 10-kg dumbbells, they can also practise with 10-kg mudgars but it is not the same and hence, proper guidance is important."

Even Haresh Punjabi has been conducting Mudgar classes from Pune for the past few months now, he has been taking individual classes as well.  While he sees the potential of business with Mudgars in the future, just like his teacher Guru Pashupati, he also believes that equipment like Gada and Santola and businesses related to them might flourish in the future.