India has a rich history of inventing games and sports that were eventually popularised in the region and beyond. Some notable games include the following.
Originating around the 6th century CE, chess evolved from the ancient Indian game of Chaturanga, which was played on an 8x8 board and involved four divisions of the military.
Known as the national game of India in ancient times, Pachisi is a board game that inspired many variations, including the Western version known as Ludo.
This ancient Indian game was originally known as Moksha Patam and was used to teach morality and lessons about karma and virtues.
A tabletop game similar to billiards, where players use a striker to pocket small discs into corner pockets.
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it."
A traditional street game similar to cricket, involves a small stick (gilli) and a longer stick (danda). The objective is to hit the gilli with the danda and score points.
It is a traditional board game played in South India, often using cowrie shells or seeds, and similar to the game Mancala which involves strategy and counting skills.