Traditional games of India
Videos
India has several traditional games and sports, some of which have been played for thousands of years. Their popularity has greatly declined in the modern era, with Western sports having overtaken the
A kho-kho defensive player (centre) runs from one half of the court to the other to avoid being touched by an opponent.
An Indian stamp from 1990 commemorating the introduction of kabaddi, India's most popular traditional sport, into the Asian Games.
A few traditional Indian games have been noted for being similar to games in Southeast Asia, such as atya-patya, whose Indonesian variant gobak sodor is pictured here.
A photo from 1870 depicting Hyderabadis preparing for pehlwani.
Chaturanga
Videos
Chaturanga is an ancient Indian strategy board game. It is first known from India around the seventh century CE.
Traditional games of India
…of their gameplay mentioned in the Mahabharata, which was written before 300 AD. Atya-patya is mentioned in the Naṟṟiṇai, written in 300 AD or before. Chaturanga is an ancient board game which experienced various modifications as it was transmitted from India toward Europe and became the modern game of chess…
Krishna and Radha playing chaturanga on an 8×8 ashtāpada
Chess set from Rajasthan, India