Archery: The Game of Ancient and Modern India

Archery, the game of Warship and Kingship, is one among the prime ancient sports in India. The efforts made by the battle heroes with the help of bow and arrow gained a triumph over several kingdoms. Right from the ancient and mythological periods, people were efficiently trained to use Bows and Arrows. Earlier the archery was done for the hunting then it was used in the battles and now archery is a major International Sport. It is said that the oldest bow used by the archers are natives of Denmark. The evidences of Archery have been found in many countries like Sweden, Denmark and Egypt.  Earlier the bows were the short bows which were used for the hunting. The Egyptians were the first to design composite bows. The Japanese developed the Archery in two forms, which are Kyodo and Yabusame. These two forms are still famed as the martial arts techniques in Japan.

Indian History: The game is believed to be originated from the times of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Archery is the sport that is known for its deep-seated connection with the Indian Mythology and History. The history of Archery in India dates back to the Vedic Period. Archery was continued as a major technique of defense till nineteenth century and now it is taken as the major Olympic Sport. The game of archery is played with the two basic instruments known as the bow and arrow. The measurement of target is approximately 8- 10 inches in height and 3 inches in diameter. While playing, the players take aim at the target from a distance of 30 meters. The practice of Archery is known as the Archer. 

In India, there are several types of Archery forms that are practiced. In the Bionic Buck kind of archery, the Archers attempt to shoot through a small hole in the kill area of a cast iron steel deer target. In Golf Archery, the ball is replaced by an arrow and the clubs are replaced by a bow. The Dart archery uses the darts and is having the greater distance and uses proportional sectored target. In Broad-head Round is a kind of Archery game that features archers shooting broad head-tipped arrows. They shoot the arrows through single sheet cardboard cutouts of animals that remain hung between two wooden poles, and strung in the air with bendable wire, with a large dirt mound behind it as a backstop. Another form of Archery is the Night shooting form of archery game that consists of the archers who go out on a short, one round course. The archers use flashlights to light their way through the course and also to shine the targets.

India is having a profound tryst with the game of Archery. The game was chosen as the part of the Olympic discipline in 1972 and India established the Archery Association in 1973. The organization runs for the exhilaration of the game in the nation and to fetch the International recognition for the game. The AAI works for the strength of the game in the Nation.  

Find the list of Archery Academies in India.