Popular Games That Took Birth In Ancient India

India has been the hub of some great sports. From the very beginning, India has been an active participant in different kinds of sports. There are also some games that emerged from this diverse country and have reached the heights of success. Some Indian Games are now popular all over the world, yet very few know that they were actually invented in India itself.

Chess

Chess is one of the oldest Indian Game that was birthed in India. It was initially called ‘Ashtapada’. Its name was then changed ‘Chaturanga’ during the rule of the Gupta Empire. Once again, due to the Persians, it was renamed to be finally called ’Shatranj’. Evidence has been found, that the game was even played the Indus Civilisation. Once the British colonised India, they too found a keen interest in the game and started playing it with pomp and fare. Even today chess has a great reputation in India and is played with seriousness. Legends like Vishwanathan Anand have also contributed to India’s growing fame in the game of chess

Polo

It is strongly believed that Polo originated from a small town in Manipur. There was also a time when great rulers played the game while sitting on elephants for recreational purposes. There is also a mention of a Polo game played by the kings who ascended the throne in 33 AD in Cheitharon Kumpapa court chronicle of the kings of Manipur. This Indian sport became one of the favourites of the British. They picked it up from India and popularised it all over the world.

Ludo

Ludo originated as early as the sixth century in India. It was called ‘Pachisi’ and it had evolved from a very ancient game called ‘Chausar’ played by Kauravas and Pandavas- the famous characters from the epic Mahabharata.

Many historians have seen that there is a depiction of the Indian games painted on the walls of Ellora. The Mughals also enjoyed this game a lot, especially Akbar. Yet, this too was taken away from India by the Britishers and patented as “Ludo”. They did make some slight modifications to the game- like adding a cubic dice and a dice cup.

Snakes and Ladders

This Indian Games is now often found alongside Ludo, yet its origin story is a little different. It emerged as a game of morality. In ancient India, the game was known by different names like- Gyan Chaupar, Mokshapat, and Moksha Patamu. Once again, The British decided to pick up the game from India and propagate it all over the world.

Kho-Kho

This one is a very old Indian Games that originated in the rural parts of India. Many historians speculate that it was initially a game of run and chase and nothing more. Later on, it was mainly played on the ‘raths’ or chariots and was known as Rather by the emperors.

Kabaddi

While this game was invented in India, it only gained a great fan following after the Pro Kabaddi League. Apparently, the game was founded in Tamil Nadu about 4000 years ago.

This sport goes by many different names in the different parts of India — Suranjeevii, Gaminee, Amar, Circle, Goongi. Now Kabaddi has a great fan following, thanks to the advent of the Pro Kabaddi League. Many film stars started supporting it, making it a huge success in India

Badminton

While many believe that Badminton was another invention by the British, but the fact remains that the modern version of the sport was invented in India. The British were, however, the first patrons of the game and enjoyed it greatly. By the 1870’s the British not just gained master over the game but also took some equipment back home.

Playing cards

Playing cards are one of the most favourite games in India. In every party or gathering, we gather around with a deck of cards and start playing. While not all card games were invented in India but some of them such as Rummy, Bluff, Bridge, etc. took birth here. The games were introduced in the 16th century by the Mughal emperors and called the game “Ganjifa”. The game was played with grandeur and lavish sets of cards made from ivory or tortoise shells and decorated with various precious stones were used.

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Originally published at Sporcial.