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Rooted in the earth, India's traditional mud wrestling thrives

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India 's mud wrestling is more raw -- but has been the training ground for Olympic success.

The sport has millennia-old roots but emerged during the period of India 's Mughal rulers in the 16th century .

Both men and women Indian wrestlers have won medals at the Olympics and Commonwealth Games in the more regulated form of the sport.

For the wrestlers, the soil is sacred for them, with supporters saying it is not just spectacle but a tradition.