Guru Hanuman

Guru Hanuman

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Category: Sports & Games

Guru Hanuman Profile

  • Name:
  • Guru Hanuman
  • Other Name:
  • Vijay Pal
  • Born:
  • May 15, 1901
  • Died:
  • May 24, 1999

Guru Hanuman Biography

Guru Hanuman – Father of Indian Wrestling was a legendary wrestling coach of India. Winner of the prestigious Dronacharya Award in the field of sports in the year 1988, he has trained several world class champions. Satpal Singh – 16 times National Heavyweight Champion and the winner of two Asian medals including, one Gold, is one among his favourite and most successful students. His students Sudesh Kumar, Prem Nath, kartar Singh and Ved Prakash also won gold awards in many international events. Indian government honoured him with Padma Shri in 1983. Guru Hanuman Akhara, a Delhi-based wrestling academy was started by him. The academy won 2014 Rashtritya Khel Protsahan Puraskar. It’s the oldest Wrestling School of India existing till now and was established in 1925. The young wrestlers have a belief that the land is blessed.

 

His real name is Vijay Pal. He was born on 15 March 1901, in the Chirawa town of Rajasthan in British India. Guru didn’t get opportunity to go to school. But since an early age, he started training in a wrestling centre, called Akhara in local language. At the age of 19 he moved to Delhi and gained popularity as a wrestler in the pre-independent period. Famous industrialist K. K. Birla allotted him a piece of land in Malkaganj, Subzi Mandi to start an Akhara. Though it was initially named as 'Birla Mills Vyayamshala', later it was renamed as Guru Hanuman Akhara, a holy place to wrestlers. Currently it is located in Shakti Nagar in Delhi.

 

A legend, he created a template for modern Indian wrestling by mixing several styles and he was also a successful wrestler of his times. He coached India's freestyle international wrestlers. A great teacher, his 8 students won the most prestigious Arjuna Award for wresting. The legendry wrestler Dhara Singh has also trained in his Akhara. He was a bachelor and vegetarian. He died in a car accident on 24 May 1999, near Meerut, aged 98.

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Updated: March 06, 2016

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