Early History of Ball Badminton: From Royal Grounds to National Sport
Ball Badminton is one of India’s oldest indigenous racket sports, deeply rooted in the cultural and sporting traditions of South India. Historical records indicate that the game developed in Thanjavur (Tanjore), Tamil Nadu, around the mid-19th century, where it was reportedly played in royal courts as an outdoor alternative to shuttle badminton. Instead of feather shuttles, players used a lightweight woolen ball and wooden rackets, making the sport faster and better suited to open-ground play. By the early 1900s, the game had already spread across several regions of India, especially Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and parts of Maharashtra. Archival photographs from the early twentieth century show organized matches being played before large gatherings, with players wearing traditional attire and formal umpires supervising the contests — evidence that the sport had begun developing a structured competitive format much earlier than many people realize. A major turning poin...
