Nepal has many traditional games that are similar to othertraditional South Asian games.[1] Many of these games were played during local cultural festivals,[2] but are now disappearing because of technological influence and globalisation.[3]
Dandi biyo andkabaddi, which were considered the unofficial national sports until recently, are still popular in rural areas. Despite efforts, standardisation and development of dandi biyo has not been achieved, while kabaddi, as a professional sport, is still in its infancy in Nepal.Bagh-chal, an ancientboard game that is thought to have originated in Nepal, can be played on chalk-drawn boards, with pebbles, and is still popular today.Ludo,snakes and ladders andcarrom are popular pastimes.Chess is also played.Volleyball was declared as the national sport of Nepal in 2017. Popular children's games include versions oftag,knucklebones,hopscotch,Duck, duck, goose andlagori, whilemarbles,top,hoop rolling andgully cricket are also popular among boys.Rubber bands, orranger bands cut from tubes inbike tyres, make a multi-purpose sporting equipment for Nepali children, which may be bunched or chained together, and used to playdodgeball,cat's cradle,jianzi and a variety ofskipping rope games.
Dandi biyo (Nepali:डन्डी बियो,pronounced[ˈɖʌɳɖiˈbijo]ⓘ) is a game played inNepal which was considered thede facto national game until 23 May 2017, whenvolleyball was declared as the national sport. Dandi biyo is played with a stick (dandi) about 2 feet (61 cm) long and a wooden pin (biyo) about 6 inches (15 cm) long. The pin is a small wooden stick with pointed ends. The game is similar to the Indian gamegilli danda. Thegovernment has not implemented any policies for the preservation of dandi biyo, and with decreasing players[4] the game is expected to be extinct soon.[5]
This game (also known as marbles) involves participants flicking marbles with their fingers in the hopes of pushing opponents' marbles outside of the playing area.[6][7]
Chungi (Nepali:चुङ्गि) is a traditional game played by children in Nepal and northeastern India.[11][12] The setup of the game is similar tohacky sack.[13] It is played with a ball made by tying a group ofrubber bands in the middle.[14]
Kabaddi being played at the2018 Asian GamesKabaddi (/kəˈbædi/,[16]/ˈkʌbədi/)[17] is acontactteam sport played between two teams of seven players. It is one of thetraditional games of South Asia.[18] In this game, a raider enters the opposing half of the court to touch defenders and attempt to return within 30 seconds without being tackled. Points are awarded for successful tags, while defenders earn a point for stopping the raider. Tagged or tackled players are temporarily out but can re-enter when their team scores. Raids alternate between teams throughout the game.
Kabaddi (also known locally askapardi)[19] has been declining in Nepal in recent decades.[20]
A defender (orange) in the free zone, near a sitting chaserKho kho is atraditional South Asian sport that dates toancient India.[21][22] It is the second-most popular traditionaltag game in theIndian subcontinent afterkabaddi.[23] 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.[22] Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
Bagh-chal (Nepali:चालⓘbāgh cāl,Newar:धुँ कासाdhun kasa meaning "tiger game")[25] is astrategic, two-playerboard game that originated inNepal. The game is asymmetric in that one player controls four tigers and the other player controls up to twenty goats. The tigers 'hunt' the goats while the goats attempt to block the tigers' movements. This game is also seen in southern India with a different board, but the rules are the same. This game is popular in rural areas of the country.[26]
Elephant polo is a variant ofpolo played while ridingelephants. It is played inNepal, andThailand.England andScotland regularly field teams. Equipment consists of a standard polo ball and a 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) cane (similar tobamboo) sticks with apolo mallet head on the end. The pitch is three-quarters of the length of a standard polo pitch, due to the lower speed of the elephants. Two people ride each elephant; the elephants are steered bymahouts, while the player tells the mahout which way to go and hits the ball.
Elephant polo originated inMeghauli, Nepal. Tiger Tops in Nepal remains the headquarters of elephant polo and the site of the World Elephant Polo Championships.[27]
^"Bushell at elephant polo World Cup".BBC News. 5 December 2008. Retrieved27 April 2009.A team from England have become the new world champions of elephant polo. Air Tuskers beat Scotland's Chivas, on Friday in Southern Nepal.
