Traditional Sports in North India

Traditional sports of North India include Yubi lakpi of Manipur, Vajra-mushti of Himachal Pradesh, Insuknawr of Mizoram, Achugwi Phan Sohlaimung of Tripura, Dwkhwi Sotonmung of Tripura, Surr of Ayodhya District of Uttar Pradesh, Punjabi Kabaddi of Punjab and Chandigarh and many others.

Yubi lakpi is a seven-a-side traditional football game played in Manipur using a coconut, which has some notable similarities to rugby.

Vajra-musti refers to a knuckleduster-like weapon and also a form of Indian wrestling in which the weapon is employed. It is concentrated in Himachal Prdaesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The weapon is sometimes called Indra-mukti which means Indra`s fist.

Insuknawr, or Rod Pushing Sport is an indigenous game of Mizoram, a state in North-East India.

Achugwi Phan Sohlaimung is a type of wrestling played between two young men to test their strength. The players sit on the ground facing each other and spread their legs. A thin tree or bamboo pole is placed between them for staking their legs. The two contenders hold horizontally a piece of bamboo, approximately two and half cubits in length, which remains high above the ground between them. When pulling begins, each contender tries to pull the bamboo towards his own side.

Dwkhwi Sotonmung is a form of tug of war played between two groups of boys or men.

Longoi Chokmung is a swinging game played by children of Tripura. The two long ropes or strong vines are tied to the branch of a tree, and a wooden platform is tied to the lower end to make a seat. Taking turns the children swing while others push him or her. They also sing while swinging.

Surr is a sport played in the areas around Ayodhya District of Uttar Pradesh of the northern India.

Punjabi Kabaddi also called Kauddi in Punjabi language is a contact sport that originated in the Punjab region.

Pehlwani is a form of wrestling that came from Mughal times in Uttar Pradesh. It was developed in the Mughal Empire by combining native malla-yuddha with influences from Persian varzesh-e bastani.

Mukna is a form of folk wrestling from the north-east Indian state of Manipur. It is popular in Imphal District, Thoubal District and Bishnupur District. The game is generally played on the last day of the Lai Haraoba festival and is an intrinsic part of the ceremonial functions.

Chaturanga developed in the Gupta Empire, around the 6th century AD in the northern part of India. In the 7th century, it was adopted as shatranj" in Sassanid Persia.

Dhopkhel is a traditional ball game played in the Indian state of Assam. The game is played between two eleven member teams on a 125 m X 80 m field bounded by four flags. The players take turns throwing the ball at the opponent to knock them out of the game, while seeking to catch the ball and evade other players. It is a test of speed, stamina, and acrobatic skills.

Gilli-Danda is an amateur traditional sport played in the rural areas and small towns of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Gilli Danda is an ancient sport of India, possibly with origins over 2500 years ago. It is believed to have the origin from Western games like cricket, baseball and softball.

Kho kho is a tag sport from the Indian subcontinent. It is played by teams of twelve players, of which nine enter the field, who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team. It is one of the two most popular traditional tag games of the South Asia, the other being kabbadi.

Lagori is a game concentrated in northern state of India- Punjab and Haryana involving a ball and a pile of flat stones, generally played between two teams in a large outdoor area. A member of one team (the seekers) throws a tennis ball at a pile of stones to knock them over. The seekers then try to restore the pile of stones while the opposing team (the hitters) throws the ball at them. If the ball touches a seeker, he is out and his team continues without him. A seeker can always safeguard himself by touching an opposite team member before the ball hits him.

Koni-juj or egg tapping or Egg fight is a festive game, played in Assam.