5 Popular Games that Originated in Ancient India

Since ancient times, playing games has been a major recreational activity in India. Some of these games have stood the test of time and are popular even today. So, here is a history behind these Indian games.

Ludo

Ludo is a popular board game that we’ve played at least once. Ludo is a simplification of the Indian game Pachisi, which originated in India in the 6th century. The board of Pachisi was made out of cloth or jute, and a depiction of the game can be found in the caves of Ajanta in Maharashtra. The game was quite popular in Medieval India, and the Mughal Emperors of India also liked playing Pachisi.

The nineteenth-century saw an increased interest in Indian board games in the west, and Pachisi received some attention in England. While Pachisi is a reasonably strategic partnership game, Ludo dispensed with many of the complexities of Pachisi. Since its inception, Ludo’s simpler nature has made it an ideal children’s game.

Andar Bahar

Andar Bahar (sometimes referred to as Katti) is a traditional Indian betting game which originated in Bangalore many centuries ago. The games modalities are extremely simple gameplay and it involves the use of a single pack of cards.

The dealer deals a single card face up into the middle of the table and then proceeds to deal face-up cards to the left and right of the middle card. When a card appears that matches the value of the middle cards, the game ends.

Before the game starts, players bet on which side they think the game will end on.

Teen Patti

Teen Patti is a gambling card game that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is popular throughout South Asia. It originated from the English game of three-card brag, with influences from Poker. Teen Patti is also called flush or flash in some areas.

The game has undergone widespread transformations and has spread to various parts of the world. It is normally played by a group of 3 or 6 people and it uses a 52 card deck. Each player is given 3 cards in a face-down fashion. Before the card are dealt with, the boot amount is decided. It is then poured from each player. As the game progresses, the boot money amplifies, and the whole amount belongs to the winner of the hand.

Jhandi Munda

Jhandi Munda is a traditional Indian dice betting game which originates from Arunachal Pradesh, where it’s actually a legal form of gambling.

It is played with six, six-sided dice. There are six different symbols on each of the sides – a diamond, a heart, a spade, a club, a face, and a flag. Players bet on which symbol will appear face up the most often. The dice are rolled and the symbol that appears the most often wins.

Snake and Ladders

Snake and Ladders originated in Ancient India, where it was known with the name Moksha Patamu. It’s not exactly known when it was invented, though it’s believed the game was played at a time as early as the 2nd century BC. According to some historians, the game was invented by Sant Gyandev in the 13th century AD.

The game was transported to England by the colonial rules in the 19th century with some modifications. The modified game was named as Snake and Ladders in 1943.