Traditional Games of Tamil Nadu

By Vidya R.

Games have a history of their own and they are tied to the land and our identity. They have been our catalysts to socialise and create new bonds. Some bind us, some divide us , and some help us grow together, learning from each other. What, after all, is a game? Apostolos Spanos in his work titled Games of History, cited Juul, who stated:

‘A game is a rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable.’ (Spanos, p.9)

According to some historians, mancala is the oldest game in the world, based on the archaeological evidence found in Jordan that dates back around 6000 BC. Ancient Nabateans might have played this game and could have been an ancient version of the modern mancala game. Mancala, being one of the oldest kinds of games, finds its counterpart in the Tamilian version of Pallanguzhi.

Let us look at some of the traditional games of Tamil Nadu, the southern state of India:

(Image credits: https://historified.in/2024/06/04/discover-the-ancient-strategy-unveiling-the-rich-history-and-rules-of-dayakattai/)

Dhaayakattai: This is a famous Tamil dice game played by two to four people. Dhaayam means the first stone. Players start by rolling the Dhaayakattai (dice), and when a player rolls a Dhaayam (zero on one die and one on another), which makes one of their pieces move one space out of the “home ground”, it is rolled again. This move advances their pieces by the number indicated by the dice. To move all the pieces out of the home ground, Dhaayam must be rolled for each one. The pieces move in a clockwise direction on the side of the player. When a player rolls a one, six, or twelve ( i.e. two 0s), they get to roll again. If a player rolls a five, or twelve (two zeroes) during a turn, they can move one piece by five, one piece by twelve and another by five.
Alternatively, the player could elect to have the two numbers shared by only two pieces or even move only one piece by the total number rolled. Pieces can ‘cut’ other pieces from the opponent by landing on the same spot that they are in. A ‘cut’ piece is sent home. However, while in one of the safe zones (marked by an X), a piece cannot be cut. After completing one lap, a piece starts to move up the outer edge of the right side of its owner’s leg of the game board. It stays on the corners instead of the spaces. The piece then needs to move the exact number of spaces to get to the center of the board. Players win by getting all their pieces to the center ‘the home ground’ of the board.
According to the article titled Dayakattai: A Traditional Tamil Dice Games’, the game has historical roots and is known to have been developed in India and began during the Sangam period. The game represents the uncertainties of life and is often tied to chance and fate. This familial game is considered to be a sign of wealth since they believe that it will bring luck. The earliest mentions of the Dhayakattai being played was the Mahabharata when Yudishtra was renowned for his terrible loss and Shakuni was known for his devious tricks and made the Pandavas lose their kingdoms, wealth and finally Draupadi’s ‘honour.’

(Image source: https://ru.pinterest.com/pin/90423904994621297/)

Paramapadham: This legendary game of snakes and ladders in the region of Tiruchirapalli, is called *Paramapadham* (translates to join the feet of god or supreme position in life). In Tamil Nadu is also known as Pampu Thayam (Snake and Ladders aka Dice) and it is related to human life. This game reflects the wave of ups and downs in life to reach the supreme state. The rules of this two-four player game are as I would call it jujube (translates to ‘candy’, a piece of cake). The image below depicts a colourful board of animals, people, deities, and most importantly snakes. A person plays the dice (the two brass hollowed out rods).
The game starts only when the dice hits 1. When the dice are at six and twelve the player gets another turn to move up the board. Snakes drag the player down the board, whereas the ladders bring the player up. The main goal is to reach the point beyond the 132nd grid ahead of anybody else. From then on only a dice roll of one can help reach the end of the grid. This game of chance is known to improve math skills and cognitive abilities.

(Image source: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26264689?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents)

Pallanguzhi: Speaking of sozhi, this game is a shore of shells. This mancala type game originated in South India. It is a two-player game but up to four players can play it and it is a popular household game, reigned over by women. It requires strategic numerical thinking. There are different numbered variations depending on the quantity of sozhi filled in the hollowed out board. They are filled with either 4 sozhi/seeds, 7 sozhi or 12 seeds. There are multiple ways to structure this game and in my home, we play these three variations.
A player picks the shells from the hollowed holes and drops one by one into the pits in a counterclockwise direction around the board. After dropping the last one, they repeat the steps by taking seeds from the following pit. This continues until the last seed in a handful is dropped into a pit that is followed by an empty pit. At this stage, the player collects all the seeds from the next pit instead of continuing the rounds. In certain versions, they also collect the seeds from the facing pit in the opponent’s row. The next round is the opponent’s turn and they start from any pit on their side. The player’s turn alternates each time one of them collects the sozhis. A round ends when all the seeds have been collected.

(Image credits: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/nondi-pandi-how-to-play-the-traditional-game–1126462925526620504/)

Pandi: This is the traditional game of hopscotch. The players throw a pebble into numbered squares to retrieve the object. The players must hop on one foot and cannot step on the lines or the corners of the square. They cannot stay on a square more than the set amount. In order to complete their task they must repeat the process in reverse, collecting the object with one hand and jumping back to the start. The player who retrieves the object in the quickest time is deemed the winner. Its gym equivalent is an EFX. I remember this game to be popularly known as the ‘girls game’ during school time. While all young children played this game before being impacted by the cultural division of what is understood to be a ‘feminine game.’

(Image credits: https://www.amazon.in/Pambaram-Game-Spinning-Wooden-Lattoo/dp/B0B218HT78)

Pambaram: Also known as the spinning top, this outdoor game is played by spinning the tops as long as possible. The player whose top spins the longest is the winner. The rules prescribe the players to use a deft string pull to propel their tops and spin for the longest time over a smooth surface. Pambaram, the Naughty Top is a children’s story by Kavitha Punniyamurthi, and it anthropomorphises the spinning top which depicts its adventures throughout the text. A family spins the top and it spins throughout the town and is extremely excited to be doing so.

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Goli: In this game of marbles, players skillfully flick the competitor’s marbles away from pre-determined margins. The players draw a circle on the ground and each player places one of their marbles in the play zone. To start the game, they add two parallel lines to the ground. The players then take turns to each throw a marble from behind the starting line (A). The player whose marble is nearest to the line on the other end (i.e. line B), gets to start the game.
Game play starts from following line B. Each player takes turns to throw their marbles into the circle with the aim of dislodging those belonging to their competitors. The player gets to keep the marble he or she successfully edges out of the circle. The participant who collects the most marbles wins.

(Image credits: https://www.amazon.in/Marutham-Gilli-Danda-Game-Traditional/dp/B07P5BTWX)

Gilli Danda: This game requires at least a group of two players to play Gilli Danda. The players are divided into two equal member teams. After a coin toss, the team which wins the toss decides whether they will bat first or go for fielding. The team which bats is called the hitter team and the opponent team is the fielding team. Two sticks are required to play this game. The short one is known as Gilli, while the long one is called Danda. Gilli is lobbed up in the air using the Danda by a striker (batsman), and while it is in the air, the striker strikes it again using the Danda.
The goal of the striker is to hit the Gilli as hard as it can travel to a maximum distance from the striking point. The striker is ruled out if a fielder of the opponent’s team catches the Gilli while it’s in the air. If the Gilli lands safely somewhere the ground, the distance between the Gilli and the striking area (or striking circle) is measured by using the Danda. The length of Danda is considered to be equivalent to one run. So the striker scores the same number of runs as the occasions it takes to cover the distance with the Danda. If the hitting player (striker) is unable to strike the Gilli, then he/she will get two more chances to hit the Gilli and make it travel a reasonable distance. If the striker is unable to hit the Gilli in these three successive attempts, he/she is considered out, and the next striker of the same team comes in (if any).
When all the strikers of the first teams get out, the second (opponent) team comes in to chase the score of the first team as strikers.

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Panch Kone: Also known as the Nakshatra Vilayattu (translated to game of stars), this is predominantly a single player game. It challenges the player to remove game pieces from a star-shaped (five cornered) board. Chinese Checkers is based on this game. It is played on a board with five-point stars painted on it. This is a strategy game that requires the player to move around the board and finally with a single piece. Every player starts with their set of tokens strategically positioned in particular areas to ensure a fair and competitive game. The player would want to gently move the board to block the opponent’s tokens with their own to gain a leverage at this game. Every move is intentional. This game stimulates the player to strategise, think of patterns that can help one win the game. Panch Kone is found in numerous temples, the symbol of curiosity is how it is carved on a pink granite stones.

(Image credits: https://www.flipkart.com/ancient-living-puli-meka-bagh-chaal-goats-tigers-aadu-aattam-board-game-strategy-war-games/p/itmf2ckw8tw6tsyr)

Aadu Pulli Aatam: This game requires patience, keen observation and mental calculation to guess what move will block the opponent. Aadu Puli Aattam is a traditional Indian board game for two players where one player controls tigers and the other controls goats. The game starts with one tiger in the apex and other two placed in the boxes next to the apex. The important rule is, that the coins should be moved and placed only at the intersection point of the columns and it should move neither inside nor out. The game begins once the goat is placed at a free intersection on the board.
The game becomes more interesting when all the 15 goats are inside the columns and start moving. Tiger can jump onto any goat and capture it by moving to an adjacent free position. The moves should be valid ones. The goats can move only when all the 15 of them are inside the columns, until then they have to stay still. Tigers can capture the goats anytime, by only moving on the adjacent column. A Tiger can capture one goat at a time, not more than that. A tiger should not jump over another tiger. Goats can encircle the tiger and block it from moving. Each tiger aims is to kill five goats.
The victory is based on whether the tiger eats up all the goats or the goats block the tigers from moving. This game is played to sharpen the thinking power and to develop strategy. Through this game, the players are taught the importance of teamwork, how united and well guided goats can pause the movement of powerful tigers. And also how to feed on our prey in an efficient way. In an ancient house, we can see the engravings of this game chart in every veranda.

(Image credits: https://in.pinterest.com/pin/69031806784366405/)

4-Vara-Sozhi:

As the name suggests, 4 Vara Sozhi is played using four cowrie shells. This two to four-player game is enjoyed by them sitting in a circle and the turns taken in a clockwise direction. Each player tosses the cowrie shells and the scoring is determined by the combination of shells landing with their mouths open or closed. If all the shells land with their mouth closed (upside down), the player scores eight points. If all four shells land with their mouths open, all players attempt to grab them quickly, earning four points for each shells collected. If two shells land upside down and two with mouths open, the player must strike the open-mouth shells with a closed-mouth shell using their finger, scoring one point for each successful hit.
The turn ends if the player fails to hit the targeted shell or if three shells land either all open or all closed. The turn continues and the player who accumulates the highest points is declared the winner.

(Image credit: https://www.flipkart.com/retail-charms-traditional-wood-kitchen-set-multi-colour-choppu-saman-32-piece/p/itm9826894439a1e)

Set of toys (Choppu set): This wooden set of kitchen utensils has long been termed as a ‘feminine game’ because of traditional duties of domestic work being assigned to women. This childhood game must be in every Tamil household, it has almost all the utensils one could find in the kitchen. Looking at the image below, the most striking part of this set is the usage of wood considering the environmentally conscious need for producing toys and the colour schema used for the vessels. Every girl must have had cooking sessions and tea parties with ‘guests’ using this Choppu set.

Some nostalgia must have revived by reading and pondering these games. In contemporary times, these games are advertised and exoticised as ‘traditional games’ and are sold as a rare commodity. However, with the advent of social media and online gaming, traditional games are slowly losing their charm. As long as memory and childhood nostalgia are commemorated, these games will stand the test of time as the need for community-building and friendship exchanges persists.

BIO: Vidya says “Heyo, I’m a poet searching for words to define myself.” She graduated from Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University.

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