Parcheesi is a brand-name American adaptation of the Indian cross and circle board game Pachisi, published by Selchow & Righter and Winning Moves Games USA.
A game of Parcheesi in progress
Pachisi is a cross and circle board game that originated in Ancient India. It is described in the ancient text Mahabharata under the name of "Pasha". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross. A player's pieces move around the board based upon a throw of six or seven cowrie shells, with the number of shells resting with the aperture upward indicating the number of spaces to move.
A game of Pachisi on a cloth board
Large ancient garden version – Fatehpur Sikri – India; marked squares can just be made out under the shadows of the onlookers.
Pachisi pieces in enamelled gold with precious stones, 18th century Mughal India, Khalili Collection of Islamic Art
A beaded Pachisi game, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis