HISTORY
For the uninitiated, the Mahabharata is an ancient Indian epic which chronicles the conflict between two sets of royal cousins – the Pandavas being the protagonists and the Kauravas being the antagonists. The central plot revolves around an 18-day long war.
On the 13th day of the war, Guru Dronacharya, who was the combat teacher to both the Pandavas and Kauravas but was fighting the war for the latter, devised the Chakravyuha, a deadly almost impenetrable war formation, which unless broken would result in the Pandavas losing.
The Dronacharya Award, India’s highest award for sports coaches, incidentally, is named after the same Guru Dronacharya.
With none from the original five Pandavas managing to breach the deadly Chakravyuha, Abhimanyu, the young son of Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers, stepped up and broke through the Chakravyuha formation.
The endeavour cost Abhimanyu his life after being outnumbered in combat at the centre of the Chakravyuha but gave the Pandavas the opening they needed to eventually win the war.
The style of fighting Abhimanyu adopted to breach the Chakravyuha is said to have closely resembled the concept of ring play, which is a defensive tactic applied in the game of Kho Kho.
Experts believe that Kho Kho originated in the Maharashtra region of India and in the ancient times was played on chariots and was called Rathera. Rath is the Hindi translation for a chariot. The game was also known in ancient times as “Kho Dhwani Krida”, translating as “a game where the sound ‘kho’ is made”.
The present version of Kho Kho, played by individuals on foot, originated in 1914 at the time of the first World War.
Pune’s Deccan Gymkhana club first came out with formalised rules and regulations for Kho Kho. These gave the sport a structured look.
Kho Kho, along with other indigenous Indian sports like kabaddi and mallakhamb, was demonstrated on the sidelines of the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The first ever All India Kho Kho Championship was held at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh in 1959-60 while the national championship for women was played in Kolhapur, Maharashtra in 1960-61.
Kho Kho was also demonstrated during the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi and the first-ever Asian Championship was held in Kolkata in 1996. It was also a medal sport at the South Asian Games 2016 in Guwahati.
Currently, almost 30-35 countries have their national Kho Kho teams.
Other international kho kho competitions, such as the Asian Kho Kho Championship, have been held with the collaboration of organisations such as the Kho Kho Federation of India and the Kho Kho Federation of England, with the sport having been spread overseas by the South Asian diaspora. Within South Asia, it has been accepted into major sports events such as Khelo India and the National Games of India,with its growth supported by its simplicity and affordability.
Kho kho’s rules and appearance have changed over time; it was generally played on muddy surfaces in the past, but today is often professionally played on matted surfaces. This transition has altered the game, as more energy is required to run on a matted surface, with injuries also increasing to some extent. Various other aspects of the game, such as the poles and the dimensions of the playing field, were also added over time.
Asian Kho Kho Championships:-
The Asian Kho Kho Federation was formed in 1987 during the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in Calcutta (Kolkata). The federation’s goal is to make Kho Kho a popular sport across Asia, where it is widely recognized and played at all levels. The federation also aims to create a platform to nurture talent, celebrate the sport’s cultural heritage, and promote sportsmanship.
Here are some other Asian Kho Kho Championships:
The first Asian Kho Kho Championship was held in Kolkata, India in 1996, and five teams participated. India beat Bangladesh in the final.
2000; The second edition was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and seven teams participated. India won both the men’s and women’s categories.
2016; The third edition was held in Indore, India, and India won both the men’s and women’s categories.
2023; The fourth edition was held in Assam, India, and 10 countries participated. India won both the men’s and women’s categories
Ultimate Kho Kho:-
In July 2022, the player draft for Ultimate Kho Kho was completed, which is a six-team franchise-based Indian Kho Kho tournament. Its inaugural season ran from August 14 to September 4, 2022. The Odisha Juggernauts team lift the trophy of season 1 whereas Telugu Yoddhas became Runners-Up.
From December 24, 2023, to January 13, 2024 UKK hosted Season 2 at Puri , Odisha . Team Gujarat Giants defy the odds to triumph over Chennai Quick Guns with a 31-26 victory.
