My Heritage Chronicles

Most countries have their own traditional style of wrestling. In India mud wrestling also known as "Kushti" is more than 3000 years old traditional Indian sport. Traditional Indian wrestling isn't just a sport but a subculture where wrestlers used to live and train under their guru known as Ustad in the "Akhara's" and followed strict rules on everything including what they eat to what they do in their spare time. The focus was on living a pure life, building strength, and honing the skills. Drinking, smoking, and sex was off-limits for the wrestlers who used to stay in the Akharas.  Wrestling akhara's also got a mention in the Mahabharata Epic, Legendary wrestler's in Mahabharta included Lord Krishna, Jarasanga, Bhima, Lord Hanuman, Krishna's brother - Balarama and there were many more who were masters of this sport. Kushti was a sport that holds great importance in Indian society in the past but today with the adoption of western culture...

Delwara is a gem nestled in the Aravali mountain range some 40 minutes' drive from Udaipur. A town of temples and gods. Delwara historically guarded one of the three main routes into Udaipur, It was one of the 16 districts or rajwadas in the Kingdom of Mewar and was ruled by the Jhala dynasty - Dukedom of Mewar.  The town not to be mistaken with Dilwara temples which are close to Mount Abu has earned the name  "Devkul Paton Nagari" which means the town of the gods. True to its name, the town boasted about 1000 temples out of which 400 were Jain temples. The fact has seen even today where every street in the village would have at least 1-3 temples. Delwara along with other villages like Nagdha and Aayad was one of the main centers of learning and culture during the 15th century, What remains of the town today is just 25% of what it was once upon a time. My visit : Delwara was on my to-do list ever since I had planned to visit Nathdwara - The abode of Shreenath...

For any person raised in Mumbai, Since childhood, you would have walked past the grandest colonial architectural buildings, visited the Gateway of India and famous temples or other religious places as well enjoyed shopping in major bazaars of the city. This would be the case with most of us including me, so when I got interested in knowing more about the heritage of my city, I was pleasantly surprised to know that there exists a different layer of the city which I didn't know anything about and this lay in the next-door neighbor, in some alleys or in some quaint street. That started my quest to explore, get off the beaten path and rediscover a different Mumbai.  One of the online articles I read, referred to a Masjid in Mumbai with gleaming blue Persian tiles with a well-maintained lawn and a pond. My first reaction was is this in Mumbai? So on the first opportunity on one weekend, I was on my way to see this slice of Persia in the middle of the narrow bylane of Dongri tuck...