Ancient Indian Boardgames: Digital Documentation

Title (dcterms:title)

Pachgharwa (five spaces/homes)

Description (dcterms:description)

This game has been recorded by E. De. M. Humphries in Karwi, a district in Uttar Pradesh. This game has many variants although the number of ghar(square/home) differs from region to region. At times variants are also played with holes dug in the ground. There are also variants where a wooden board of circular holes are used. The basic intention or play pattern remains similar with changes in strategies or terminologies used while playing the game. In this particular variant it is played on five squares respectively as shown in the image. It is a two-player game who take opposite sides of a board of ten spaces, arranged and is played by using five pieces in each square.

Alternative Title (dcterms:alternative)

Mow korkatia / Longbeuacha (Assamese ), Sat-gol (Hindi), Ali Guli Mane (Kannada), Vai Lung Thlan (Mizo), Kanji guti (Odia), Khutka boia (Punjabi ), Pallanguzhi/ Pallankuli (Tamil), Vamana Guntalu (Telugu), Chenna Maaney (Tulu), Pachgarhwa (Urdu), Til-goti, Chal goti (Mundari), Sat Gharoa (Bihar), Bakri (Chattisgarh)

Rules (dcterms:instructionalMethod)

When the board is prepared, the player whose turn it is to move takes up the five pieces from any one of his spaces round the board from the space to the right of that from which he has just taken the pieces. He drops a piece on each space, whether of his own or his opponents as he proceeds. When he has thus exhausted his five “men,” he takes up the pieces on the sixth space and continues the process, until he happens to deposit his last “man” on a space, the next in order to which is vacant. When this occurs, he takes as many pieces as may be on the space immediately beyond the vacant one. His turn then is over, and his adversary proceeds to move in the same way, but in the opposite direction.
Thus the game, goes on until all the pieces on the board are exhausted. Even then it does not stop, but begins again by each player filling up as many spaces as he then has multiples of five in his possession. If one player has, say, three, and the other two “men” over, then each has an interest in one square proportionate to the number of pieces placed by him on it.

Creator (dcterms:creator)

E. De. M. Humphries

Source (dcterms:source)

'Notes on "Pachesi" & Similar Games' by E. De. M. Humphries in Sedentary Games of India eds. Nirbed Ray and Amitabha Ghosh

Contributor (dcterms:contributor)

E. De. M. Humphries

Rights (dcterms:rights)

Creative Commons

Format (dcterms:format)

Boardgames

Medium (dcterms:medium)

Boardgames on Text

References (dcterms:references)

'Notes on "Pachesi" & Similar Games' by E. De. M. Humphries in Sedentary Games of India

Spatial Coverage (dcterms:spatial)

Uttar Pradesh

Variants (dcterms:isVersionOf)

Mancala

Cenne Mane

Khutki Boia

Sat Gol Game

Gud Phale

Pachgharwa (five spaces/homes)

Düzalé

Kasadi

Interview with Professor Priya Sangameswaran (CSSSC): On Playing Pallanguzhi/Pallangudi in Palakkad

Rules of Pallankuzhi

Sat- Gharoa

Mawkar Katiya

Mancala, Pataleshwar (7)

Mancala, Pataleshawar (8)

Incomplete Mancala, Pataleshwar (6)

Mancala, Pataleshwar (4)

Entered by (dcterms:accrualMethod)

Adrija Mukherjee

Notes (foaf:status)

A civil servant who was appointed as the Sub-divisicnal Officer at Karwi Sub-division at IJ.P. in 1904 Submitted an inspection report on Mauza Gidarah, Pargana Karwi, the extract of which was published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society.
The essay mentions the United Province which was the term used for the region of Uttar Pradesh during the British Period.

Tags (dcterms:conformsTo)

Sedentary Games

Uttar Pradesh

Mancala

Pallanguzhi

Sat-Gharowa

Two-player

ten-hole