South Asia has many traditional games and
sports. Two of them,
kabaddi and
kho-kho, are played at the
South Asian Games, with kabaddi also featuring at the
Asian Games.[1] Many of these games are played across
the entire subcontinent under different names and with some rule variations, while some of these games may be played only in certain countries or regions.
History
Some traditional South Asian games, such as
kabaddi,
kho-kho, and
atya-patya, are believed to be thousands of years old, dating back to
ancient India.[2][3][4] Kho-kho, for example, dates back to at least the fourth century BC.[5] Many South Asian games likely reflect characteristics of traditional life in the subcontinent; for example, the Bengali
hopscotch game of ekka-dokka (related to
Stapoo and
Chindro) may reflect the concepts of land division and ownership of property in ancient times.[6]
After the
British colonisation of the subcontinent which peaked in the 1800s and afterwards,
Western sports such as
cricket,
football, and
hockey began to be followed to a greater extent, to the detriment of the traditional games.[7] The modern advent of urbanisation,[8]globalisation (which attracted people towards more globally popular games),[9] and technology (which gave people digital forms of entertainment such as the Internet, television, and
video games)[10] have further diminished the traditional South Asian sports.[11] Additional reasons include religious extremism in some areas, which has restricted people from playing certain games, and lack of governmental support.[12]
However, some professional leagues are now being started for certain traditional sports, such as the
Pro Kabaddi League,
Ultimate Kho Kho, and
Pro Panja League, which are beginning to revive interest in these sports and even globalise them;[13][14] these leagues are now some of the most-watched competitions in the subcontinent.[15]
Traditional games
Gillidanda
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 of
cricket, as well as to traditional games around the world, such as
tipcat.[16]
Chindro (also known as Stapoo or Kidi Kada) is a popular
rural game of
Indian Sub-Continent. The game is played with a stone that tossed and slid on a marked off playing court. It is similar to
hopscotch.
Gutte
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.[17][18][19]
Dark room
Dark room is the same as
hide-and-seek, except that it is played in an entirely dark room.[20][21]
Donkey Donkey
Donkey Donkey (similar to the Pakistani Beech ki Billi)[22] 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.[23]
In the game of
seven 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.[25][26]
In many South Asian variations of tag, the player meant to tag the other players is known as the "denner".[27][28] There are various ways of selecting the denner, such as
Saa Boo Three (also known as pugam 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.[29][30]
Kabaddi (/kəbədi/) is a
contactteam sport played between two teams of seven players,
originating in ancient India.[31] The objective of the game is for a single player on offence, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their players as possible, and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders in 30 seconds. Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are touched or tackled, but return to the game after each point scored by their team from a tag or tackle.
Kho kho is a
traditional Indian sport that dates back to
ancient India.[32][33] It is the second-most popular traditional
tag game in the
Indian subcontinent after
kabaddi.[34] 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.[33] Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite half of the field that their adjacent teammates are facing.
Freeze tag
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.[35][36]
Atya patya (Hindi: आट्यापाट्या) is a
traditional Indiantag sport played by two sides of nine players. It is more popular in rural areas of India. It is more commonly played in
Maharashtra, a western Indian state.[37] Atya patya is described as a "game of feints".[38] 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.[39] 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".[40] The sport is played in a relatively small area and requires no equipment, similar to
other games indigenous to India such as
kabaddi,
seven stones,
kho kho,
gillidanda and
langdi.[38]
Snakes and ladders is a
board game for two or more
players regarded today as a worldwide classic. The game
originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam, and was brought to the
United 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 to
die rolls, from the start (bottom square) to the finish (top square), helped by climbing ladders but hindered by falling down snakes.
Carrom is a
tabletop game of Indian origin in which players flick discs, attempting to knock them to the corners of the board. The game is very popular in the
Indian subcontinent, and is known by various names in different languages. In South Asia, many clubs and cafés hold regular tournaments. Carrom is commonly played by families, including children, and at social functions. Different standards and rules exist in different areas. It became very popular in the United Kingdom and the
Commonwealth during the early 20th century.[citation needed]