Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The most famous night eatery hub of Indore, Sarafa Choupati, is gift of Indore’s wrestlers to the city. However, the wrestling was also a very famous sport of the city since the mid-19th Century.
Historian Zafar Ansari, on the basis of the collection in his archives and other historic evidence, said, “Wrestling used to be one of the most-played sports in the city. There used to be akhadas in royal houses and palaces of the city.”
“It used to be one of the most favourite kinds of entertainment in the city and was supported by kings at that time. The city started to be known as ‘Pehelwano-aur-Khawaiyo-aur-Gawaiyo ka Shahar’,” said Ansari. Many famous wrestlers were from Indore achived fame nationwide in those days.
Ansari added that there is one advertisement of 1897 which stated that a wrestling competition was being organised in the city at Loha Bangla near Lalbagh. The date of the match was Friday, November 11, 1897, and the event was to be held from 2 pm. The advertisement stated that famous wrestlers from across the nation had been called here for wrestling.
Ticket cost around 10gm of gold
The tickets of this wrestling event at that time were categorised into four sections. The first category ticket was of Rs 5 per person, second was of Rs 3, third was of Rs 2 and fourth was of Rs 1. Reportedly, gold at that time used to cost around Rs 2 to Rs 5 per ten grams.
Royal families’ love for akhadas
Ansari said, ‘In Rajwada palace, too, there used to be an Akhada where wrestling competitions used to be organised. Similarly, at the kothi of Sir Seth Hukum Chand there was an akhada. Many mill owners also had akhadas in their homes’
How Sarafa Choupati began
Zafar said, ‘After a heavy workout routine throughout the day, the pehelwans at that time used to frequent a milk shop at Sarafa Bazar which was used to be set up at night. Later, other similar shops were also set up for serving milk, malai (cream), makkhan and such other things. Malpua, gulabjamun, rabdi and other food items also started being served. The Sarafa Choupati started in this way and still it is a tradition of Indore’
(Contributed by Arsh Rafik Visaal)
