Kabaddi is a very old sport that originated in India. There are references to kabaddi in the ancient Hindu epic, the Mahabharata. It is said that the Pandavas, a group of five heroic brothers, invented kabaddi as a way to take revenge on their cousins, the Kauravas.
Kabaddi is thought to have originally been played by farmers who used it as a way to pass the time during breaks from work. The game eventually became popular throughout India and was even included in the country’s first ever Olympic Games in 1928. Today, kabaddi is widely played all over Asia and in parts of Europe.