Varanasi: Private Akhada Wrestling Tour

A full-day tour to discover the local time-honored art of Kushti wrestling. You will learn in depth about this traditional Indian wrestling, such as how they prepare the ground, which equipment they use and how they warm up.
After being collected in the morning at approximately 6:00AM, your chauffeur will pick you up from your hotel and escort you to the Ghat to visit the Akhada, where you will be able to watch the traditional Indian style of wrestling called Kushti.

Visiting an Akhada is one of the more interesting things to do in Varanasi, and you can say Akhada is an original gym of India, where youngsters go to build their bodies. Wearing a special garment called a Langot, the Akhada have their own equipment such as Gada, Naal, Jodi, Santulan which are all made up of heavy wood.

For Indians ,Akhada is not only a place for wrestling, but they treat it like a temple. Before starting Kushti, they prepare the mud on the ground by tilting the soil with a spade and their hands. Then, they sprinkle water on the soil and offer flowers. Following this, the wrestlers offer prayer in the temple located within the Akhada. Later on, they oil their body and start warming up, before slowly they start their wrestling in pairs in a well-dignified manner. During your tour you will also get the chance to interact with the wrestlers and take some pictures of Akhada. After this unique wrestling experience, you will be returned to your accommodation at around 8:00PM/8:30PM.

To guarantee availability book as soon as possible. Early booking is worth consideration especially if you planning the trip during high season like public holidays or weekends.

This excursion you can cancel with no cost up to 48 hours before the start of the trip. If you cancel it after 48 hours or not show up on the excursion you will still be charged the full price of the activity. Being late on pick-up or departure will be considered as not showing up.