Wrestling Akharas

Traditional Punjabi wrestling pits — Gujranwala's signature sport

Pehlwani — traditional South Asian wrestling, fought in a clay pit called an akhara — is Gujranwala's defining sport. The city's nickname, 'City of Wrestlers', is taken seriously: a generation of national champions has trained here, and the akharas in and around Sheranwala Bagh still see hundreds of young men in training every morning.

Visitors are usually welcome to watch. Mornings (roughly 6–9am) are training; weekend afternoons sometimes have organised matches. Dress modestly, ask before taking photos of wrestlers, and tip the coach if you are invited to stay.

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A story
Gujranwala has produced more national wrestling champions than any other Pakistani city — a reputation that goes back to the early 20th century, when local pehlwans were regularly fighting in Lahore and Delhi. The diet of milk, butter, almonds and dozens of eggs a day is part of the legend; the training, three or four hours a morning in a clay pit, is what makes it work.