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Home - City Guide - Delhi - Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sport Sport India has a fascinating history of sport dating back to the Vedic era, when physical culture was fuelled by powerful religious rites. Dehvada - the body way - is defined as 'one of the ways to full realisation' and at the time of the Rig-Veda, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, men of stature were expected to be competent chariot racers, archers, horsemen, military tacticians, wrestlers, weight-lifters, swimmers and hunters. Many sporting games played around the world today - including wrestling, polo, archery and hockey - are believed to have originated in India. More than any other sport, India is obsessed with cricket, which was brought to the Indian subcontinent by the British in the eighteenth century. Children on street corners and backstreets are inevitably to be found loitering with a bat and ball, and Britain's spectacular lack of cricketing success is a frequent topic of conversation. In Delhi, matches are played at Ferozshah Kotla Stadium, on Bahadur Shah Zhafar Marg, between September and March. Popular Indian games include kabbadi, a team sport combining the characteristics of wrestling and rugby, and kho kho - an evolved game of catch. More mundanely, there are facilities in Delhi catering to the city's elite for a good selection of sports, including gyms, tennis, golf and swimming. Bowling: Indians, like many Asians, seem to enjoy bowling hugely. Popular bowling alleys are at: Qutb Hotel, off Sri Aurobindo Marg (tel: (011) 686 2711); First Bowl, Milestones Complex, Delhi-Jaipur Bypass (tel: (011) 832 2528); Leisure Bowl, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, Vasant Kunj (tel: (011) 689 5247); Little Paradise, Mathura Road (tel: (011) 827 8469). Fitness centres and health clubs: In Delhi, health clubs mean status, and the well groomed keep in shape at: Arya Vaidya Sala, South Extension (tel: (011) 462 1790); Club Athena, Vasant Continental, Basant Lok, Vasant Vihar (tel: (011) 614 8800); Nelson Health Club, Hotel Samrat, Chanakyapuri (tel: (011) 688 8782); Total Fitness Centre, Sector 6, RK Puram (tel: (011) 619 2687). Golf: Delhi's premier golfing location is at Delhi Golf and Country Club, Dr Zakir Hussein Marg (tel: (011) 436 2768). With 18 holes, driving range and pro-shop, it is open to the public daily. Horseriding & polo: The Delhi Riding Club is located on Safdarjung Road (tel: (011) 301 1891) and the Polo Club on Cavalry Cariappa Marg (tel: (011) 329 9444). The polo season is from October to March. Swimming: The safest swimming is at hotel pools including Hotel Imperial, Janpath (tel: (011) 334 1234); Hotel Samrat, Chanakyapuri (tel: (011) 611 0606); Ashok Hotel, Chanakyapuri (tel: (011) 611 0101). Public swimming baths are at NMDC Pools, Nehru Park, Chanakyapuri; National Stadium Complex, opposite India Gate (tel: (011) 338 9470); Talkatora Pool, Talkatora Road (tel: (011) 301 9901). Tennis: Another sport thought to have originated in India, there are tennis facilities at: Delhi Lawn Tennis Association, Africa Avenue (tel: (011) 653 955); Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Bhishama Pitamah Road (tel: (011) 462 9400); and the National Sports Club of India, Mathura Road (tel: (011) 338 5564). Watersports: Watersports (at Bhaleswa Lake), as well as other adventure activities - local and further afield - are available through Delhi Tourism's Adventure Tourism Division (tel: (011) 336 3607). Yoga: Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Nataraja Center, Community Centre, East of Kailash (tel: (011) 648 0869) provides classes. |
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