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Encyclopedia ID 298

Lathi Khela

Also known as লাঠি খেলা · stick duel

Lathi Khela: photograph by Frameofashik
Photo: Frameofashik, CC BY-SA 4.0, source on Wikimedia Commons

Two fighters with long bamboo staffs trade guarded strikes in a ring until one scores three touches.

Heritage note

Part of the living heritage of Bangladesh. It is presented as sport and skill, never as real fighting.

Origins

Usually placed in the era of Classical Worlds (about 1000 BCE to 500 CE), although its exact origins are uncertain, within the cultural world of South Asia.

Sources

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