Jyesthimalla
Encyclopedia
The Jyesthimalla were a clan of martial artists in medieval India
, mentioned in the Malla Purana. They practiced a specific style of wrestling called vajra-musti
while wielding a knuckle-duster-like weapon of the same name. Unlike the South Indian Nair
clan, they are thought to be Brahmin
priests.
The Malla Purana categorizes and classifies types of wrestlers, defines necessary physical characteristics, describes types of exercises and techniques of wrestling as well as the preparation of the wrestling pit, and provides a fairly precise account of which foods wrestlers should eat in each season of the year.
Australian martial artist John Will
trained with the Jyesthi clan in the Gujarat state of India
. His account is one of the few first hand accounts of vajra-musti
in western media.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, mentioned in the Malla Purana. They practiced a specific style of wrestling called vajra-musti
Vajra-musti
Vajra-musti refers to a knuckleduster-like weapon and also the name of ancient Indian martial art practiced by a class of wrestlers known as . The weapon is sometimes called bhukhandi or Indra-mukti which means Indra's fist. Wrestlers would compete with a vajramusti on one hand, from where the...
while wielding a knuckle-duster-like weapon of the same name. Unlike the South Indian Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
clan, they are thought to be Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
priests.
The Malla Purana categorizes and classifies types of wrestlers, defines necessary physical characteristics, describes types of exercises and techniques of wrestling as well as the preparation of the wrestling pit, and provides a fairly precise account of which foods wrestlers should eat in each season of the year.
Australian martial artist John Will
John Will
John Will is a notable martial artist from Australia. Will won the Best Exponent Award in the first World Silat Championships held in Jakarta in 1981...
trained with the Jyesthi clan in the Gujarat state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His account is one of the few first hand accounts of vajra-musti
Vajra-musti
Vajra-musti refers to a knuckleduster-like weapon and also the name of ancient Indian martial art practiced by a class of wrestlers known as . The weapon is sometimes called bhukhandi or Indra-mukti which means Indra's fist. Wrestlers would compete with a vajramusti on one hand, from where the...
in western media.