South Asia has many traditional games andsports.[1] Two of them,kabaddi andkho-kho, are played at theSouth Asian Games, with kabaddi also featuring at theAsian Games.[2] Many of these games are played acrossthe entire subcontinent under different names and with some rule variations, while some of these games may be played only in certain countries or regions.
Some traditional South Asian games, such askabaddi,kho-kho, andatya-patya, are believed to be thousands of years old, finding mention in historical scriptures[3] and dating back toancient India.[4][5][6] Kho-kho, for example, dates back to at least the fourth century BC.[7] Many South Asian games likely reflect characteristics of traditional life in the subcontinent; for example, the Bengalihopscotch game of ekka-dokka (related toStapoo andChindro) may reflect the concepts of land division and ownership of property in ancient times.[8]
After theBritish colonisation of the subcontinent which peaked from the 19th century to 1947,Western sports such ascricket,football, andhockey began to be followed to a greater extent, to the detriment of the traditional games.[9][10] The modern advent of urbanisation,[11]globalisation (which attracted people towards more globally popular games),[12] and technology (which gave people digital forms of entertainment such as the Internet, television, andvideo games)[13] have further diminished the traditional South Asian sports.[14] Additional reasons include religious extremism in some areas, which has restricted people from playing certain games, and lack of governmental support.[15]
However, the affordability of the traditional games saw them prioritised for physical education purposes by some thinkers of the early postcolonial period,[16] and some professional leagues are now being started for traditional sports, such as thePro Kabaddi League,Ultimate Kho Kho, andPro Panja League, which are beginning to revive interest in these sports and even globalise them.[17][18] These leagues are now some of the most-watched competitions in India.[19]
Gillidanda or gulli danda is a game where players attempt to hit a stick as far as possible to score points. It has similarities to the popular South Asian sport ofcricket, as well as to traditional games around the world, such astipcat.[20]
Chindro (also known as Stapoo or Kidi Kada) is a game popular in theIndian subcontinent. The game is played with a stone that is tossed or slid on a marked-off playing court. It is similar tohopscotch.
Gutte (similar to Meergati and Bilghotti in Pakistan) involves players throwing up and then grabbing stones on the ground, while ensuring none of the stones falls from the air to the ground.[21][22][23]
Dark room is the same ashide-and-seek, except that it is played in an entirely dark room.[24][25]
Donkey Donkey (similar to the PakistaniBeech ki Billi)[26] is a game in which two players attempt to throw a ball to each other, while a player in the middle tries to catch it.[27]
Maram Pitti is similar to Pakistan's Maran Kuttai.[26]
In the game ofseven stones (known by several other names in various regions), one team throws a ball at a pile of stones and then attempts to rebuild the pile, while the other team tries to eliminate the first team's players by throwing the ball at them.[28][29]
In many South Asian variations of tag, the player meant to tag the other players is known as the "denner".[30][31] There are various ways of selecting the denner, such asSaa Boo Three (also known aspugam pugai), in which a group of three players face one of their hands up or down, and if one of the players faces their hand the opposite way of the other two, then they are chosen as the denner.[32][33]
Kabaddi (/kəˈbædi/,[34]/ˈkʌbədi/)[35] is acontactteam sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of thetraditional games of South Asia.[36] In the game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to tag the defenders and attempt to return within 30 seconds without being tackled. Points are awarded for successful tags, while defenders earn a point for tackling the raider. Tagged or tackled players are temporarily out but can re-enter when their team scores. Raids alternate between teams throughout the game.
Kho kho is atraditional Indian sport that dates toancient India.[37][38] It is one of the most popular traditionaltag games in theIndian subcontinent afterkabaddi.[39] Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team (attacking team) are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched or caught.[38] Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
In the game, one player from the chasing team (the "active chaser" or "attacker") may run around the court to tag (touch) members of the defending team. Each successful tag earns one point, and tagged defenders must leave the field. However, the active chaser is restricted from crossing the central lane to access the other half of the court and cannot change direction once they begin running toward either pole. These restrictions can be bypassed if the active chaser either switches roles with a sitting teammate — by touching them on the back while saying "Kho" — who is facing the other half of the court, or by running behind either pole to switch direction or halves. Each team alternates between scoring and defending, with two turns for each role. Each turn lasts nine minutes, and the team with the highest score at the end of the game wins.[40]
Freeze tag (also known as Baraf Paani in North-India and Pakistan, and as Borof Paani in Bangladesh) involves players becoming "frozen" in place when tagged by an opponent, but becoming unfrozen when tagged by a teammate.[41][42]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Maharashtra – 27th Senior National Championship, August 2012,, Tamil Nadu semi-final match in YouTube video | |
| Senior National Atya Patya Championship,Hyderabad 2012, final:Puducherry v/s Maharashtra, YouTube video |
Atya patya (Marathi: आट्यापाट्या) is a traditional South Asiantag sport played by two sides of nine players. It is more popular in rural areas of India. It is more commonly played inMaharashtra, a western Indian state.[43] Atya patya is described as a "game of feints".[44] The playing area comprises nine trenches, coming out of either side of a central trench; a point is awarded to the attacking team's players for each trench they cross without being tagged out by the defensive players within the trenches.[45] The game ends after 4 innings (scoring turns) of 7 minutes each, with each team having two innings to score. It has been described as a game of "militant chase".[46] The sport is played in a relatively small area and requires no equipment, similar toother games indigenous to India such askabaddi,seven stones,kho kho,gillidanda andlangdi.[44]
Langdi[a] is a traditional South Asian field sport which combines elements oftag andhopscotch.[48] It was originally played during thePandiyan Dynasty and called "Nondiyaattam" at that time. The teams alternate chasing (attacking) and defending roles in each of the 4 innings of the game, with the chasing team's players restricted to hopping around on one foot, and attempting to score points bytagging as many defenders as possible within the 9 minutes of each inning. It is described byMarathis as a sport with a Marathi ethos.[49]
Langdi is considered to be useful in training for sports likekho kho,volleyball andgymnastics.[50] The National Langdi Federation received national recognition in 2010.[51]
Aankh micholi (similar to Bangladesh'sKanamachi) is a form of blindfolded tag.[21][52]
This game (similar to Rumal Chor andBengal's Rumal Churi) is similar toduck, duck, goose.[53][54][55][56]
Oonch Neech (or Oonch Neech ka Papada) is a rural and urbanstreetchildren's game and variation oftag played inNorth India andPakistan. Oonch Neech (Hindi) translates to Up and Down in English.
Snakes and ladders is aboard game for two or moreplayers regarded today as a worldwide classic. The gameoriginated in ancient India asMoksha Patam, and was brought to theUnited Kingdom in the 1890s. It is played on a game board with numbered, gridded squares. A number of "ladders" and "snakes" are pictured on the board, each connecting two specific board squares. The object of the game is to navigate one's game piece, according todie rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped by climbing ladders but hindered by falling down snakes.
Another traditional game calledLudo, is mostly played at the same board on the other side. Four participants can play this game with the help of dice.
Carrom is atabletop game ofIndian origin in which players flick discs, attempting to knock them to the corners of the board, in a similar fashion tobilliards. ThroughoutSouth Asia, many clubs and cafés hold regular carromtournaments. Carrom is commonly played by families, including children, and at social gatherings. Different standards and rules exist in different areas.