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At Cuncolim's village akhada, Shankar will walk you through Ranmale's ceremonial opening holds before letting you try basic grips and stances in the ring's soft earth. It's part sport, part ritual, performed at the local jatra as an offering as much as a contest.
Ranmale is a rare surviving form of ritual folk wrestling in India, performed not purely for sport but as part of temple festival tradition, believed to please local deities.
Bouts are held in an earthen ring, often opening with ceremonial moves and blessings before contestants wrestle, traditionally as part of a village jatra rather than as standalone sport.
We're still verifying a practitioner for this experience — check back soon.
Morning
History of Ranmale and the ceremonial opening holds
Afternoon
Basic grips and stances practised in the ring
Difficulty
Demanding — physical contact sport
Age suitability
14 and up
The earthen akhada ring
Ceremonial opening holds
Practising basic gripsPhotographs from this experience will replace these panels once available.
Do I have to wrestle to join?
No — you can attend to learn and watch only; participation in actual grips is optional.
Is this dangerous?
Shankar keeps practice sessions controlled and supervised; it's far gentler than a real jatra bout.
“Fascinating to learn wrestling has this whole ritual side in Goa — Shankar's stories about the jatra were great.”
Varun N. · 5/5
“Physically tougher than expected but a genuinely unique experience.”
Julia S. · 4/5
Not a sight to see — a practice to enter.