Cheibi Gad-Ga
This
is one of Manipur's most ancient martial arts. The fighting equipment
comprises a sword and a shield, now modified to a stick encased in soft
leather and a shield made of leather. The contestants fight a duel, and
victory goes to the person, who scores the maximum points. In ancient
times, sword and spears were used by the contestants. Victory in this
martial art, depends more on skill, than brawn and brute force.
The competition is held on a flat surface,
within a circle, with a diameter of 7 meters. There are two lines of one
metre length each in the circle, with a space of two metres between
them. The 'cheibi' stick is 2 to 2.5 feet in length, and the shield is 1
metre in diameter.
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