Khmer traditional wrestling
 Khmer traditional wrestling match | |
| Also known as | Baok Chambab |
|---|---|
| Focus | Grappling |
| Country of origin |  Cambodia |
Khmer traditional wrestling (Khmer: បោកចំបាប់ - Baok Chambab) is a folk wrestling style from Cambodia. It has been practiced as far back as the Angkor period and is depicted on the bas-reliefs of certain temples. All of the techniques found in Khmer traditional wrestling are included in Bokator, the ancient Cambodian battlefield martial art.[1]
History[edit]
Mentions of wrestling can be found in a 9th-century inscription from Thnal Baray (inscription K.282C) which depicts King Yasovarman I as a skilled wrestler:
In the exercise of wrestling, he would swiftly overcome ten very strong wrestlers and cast them to the ground in a heap by the thousand thrusts of his arms, as did the son of Kritavarya in combat for the one who had ten faces.[2]
Further traces of wrestling in Cambodia can be found in archeological artefacts namely two imposing statues of wrestlers dating back to the era of King Jayavarman IV, who ruled from 928 to 941 CE. Koh Ker, situated approximately fifty miles north of Angkor Wat, served as the capital during his reign. The statues, commissioned by the king himself, were discovered in Koh Ker and are estimated to date back to around 930 CE.[1]
Style[edit]
In Khmer wrestling, the dancing is as important as the wrestling. There is a pre-match ritual dancing before the match in which the wrestlers dance and move to the music. Matches consists of three rounds. Victory is obtained by forcing the opponent on their back. The person who is able to win two of the three rounds is the winner of the match. After each round the loser is asked if he wishes to continue with the match. The match is accompanied by the music of two drums (called skor ngey and chhmol which means female drum and male drum). Traditional matches are held during the Khmer New Year and on other Cambodian holidays. This sport used to be a means of choosing tribal and regional leaders. In the olden times, elders taught the young in their village on the full moon night after harvesting. It would take place on a rice paddy outside the village and under the moonlight. Although predominantly a male sport today, Khmer wrestling was once practiced by both sexes as female wrestlers are also displayed on the Banteay Srei temple.[3]
The sport is still practiced today in wrestling clubs in Pursat and Kampong Chhnang.[4]
Gallery[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Graceffo, Antonio. "Cambodian and Chinese Martial Arts Compared (English language paper)". Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ Barth, Auguste (1885). Inscriptions sanscrites du Cambodge (PDF) (in French). Imprimerie nationale. p. 498.
Dans l'exercice de la lutte, il enlevait en un instant dix lutteurs très forts et les jetait à terre en tas par l'impulsion de ses mille bras [par les mille impulsions de ses bras], comme fit dans le combat le fils de Kritavarya pour celui qui avait dix visages.
- ^ Ly, Vanna (August 2002). "Khmer Traditional Wrestling Revived". Leisure Cambodia.
- ^ "The Kingdom's oldest wrestling form grapples with fading interest". April 7, 2017 – via Phnom Penh Post.
External links[edit]
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