Ancient Indian Boardgames: Digital Documentation

Title (dcterms:title)

Kulaochal

Description (dcterms:description)

This game has been documented by D.N Majumdar in Jharkhand. It is a popular game played by the Ho community. This game as he explains through the structure of the board or the game pieces is similar and is another variant of Bagh Chal. He also mentions this to be similar to shola guti or sixteen pieces. According to him the game is played by drawing the board on the ground. A quadrilateral diagram is drawn with chalk on the ground. The diagonal is intersected by three equidistant parallel, lines drawn within it perpendicularly and three horizontally. Two lines are then drawn diagonally so as to intersect each other at the centre of the diagram. Finally the middle points of each of the sides of the quadrilateral are joined by four straight lines. A guti or a piece of the game is represented with the name of ‘kulao’ being tigers and ‘meroms’ being goats. As per the rule of this game there should be four kulaos and twenty meroms placed on the board. The pieces could be used in the form of local stones, or seeds or similar materials. The gutis are placed at each of the twenty points of junction of the three horizontal lines with the three perpendicular lines and with the four sides of the quadrilateral. Two players sit face to face on two sides of the drawn board.

Alternative Title (dcterms:alternative)

Bagh Bandi, Tigers and Goats, Baghchakkar, Chakrachhal, Sher Bakr, Bagh Batti, Sher Bakar, Kaooa, Bam Blang Beh Khla, Bagha Guti, Tagnor, Adu Puli Attam, Puli Meka, Ada Huli, Terhuchu, Kulaochal, Puli Judham

Rules (dcterms:instructionalMethod)

One party takes the tigers or 'kulaos', the other party the ‘meroms’, and the duty of the latter is to defend the ‘meroms’ against the tigers. The four ‘Knlaos’ are placed at the four corners of the diagram and the ‘meroms’ occupy the other 20 junction points excluding the central point. There are altogether 25 such points; when all the units are placed in situ, only one junction-point namely, the central point remains vacant.
The rules of capturing along with other strategies are not mentioned. clearly. The intention of winning the game remains similar which is the kulaos are to capture the meroms by jumping onto one merom. The kulao cannot capture a merom if two of the meroms are lined up in a line. The objective of the meroms would be to limit the kulao from making moves, thus trapping the tiger.

Creator (dcterms:creator)

D. N. Majumdar

Source (dcterms:source)

‘Some Outdoor and Sedentary games of the Hos of Kolhan’ by D. N Majumdar in Man in India, A Quarterly Record of Anthropological Science special Reference to India, ed Sarat Chandra Roy

Contributor (dcterms:contributor)

D. N. Majumdar

Rights (dcterms:rights)

Creative Commons

Format (dcterms:format)

Boardgames

Medium (dcterms:medium)

Boardgames on text

References (dcterms:references)

Man In India Vol.5 by Roy, Sarat Chandra

Spatial Coverage (dcterms:spatial)

Jharkhand

Variants (dcterms:isVersionOf)

Bagh Chal (variant),Odisha

Bagha Chheli ( Odisha)

Lam Pusri or Sipahi Kat

Baghchakkar or Chakrachal

Sher Bakr

Bagh Batti

Sher Bakar

Kaooa

Taag dha Nor or Tagnor (Tiger and Cow)

Bagh Chal, Kamakhya

Mughal Pathan

Bam Blang Beh Khla

Pam Pait

Bagha Guti

Bagh Bandi

Bagh Chal, Bull Temple (4)

Baghchal, Bull Temple (3)

Baghchal, Handmade

Bagh Chal, Pataleshwar (3)

Entered by (dcterms:accrualMethod)

Adrija Mukherjee

Tags (dcterms:conformsTo)

Ho, Santhal

Games of Jharkhand

Indigenous games

Hunt

Capture

Alquerque

Two-player

Shape: Square