Bengali traditional games are traditional games that are played in rural parts of the historical region of Bengal (present-day Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). These games are typically played outside with limited resources. Many games have similarities to other traditional South Asian games.
Some traditional Bengali games are thousands of years old and reference historical ways of life. Due to urbanization, traditional Bengali games are declining in popularity.[1] [2]
Some traditional Bengali games are thousands of years old and reference historical ways of living and historical events. For example, it is argued that some of the rhymes used to be associated with the gameplay of Gollachut, in which players run from the center of a circle towards a boundary area to be safe from opponents, may refer to escape attempts by slaves during the Indus Valley Civilisation or afterward.[3]
During the colonial era, traditional Bengali games declined in popularity, as the Bengali middle class (Bhadralok) began to be influenced by European sporting culture.[4]
Chungakhela is typically played in Chittagong by adults. The players throw firecrackers at each other, attempting to hit their opponents. As a result, players may be burnt while partaking in the game.[5]
Gaigodani is played with one player throwing a stick onto a muddy surface, trying to lodge the stick upright in the mud. A second player throws their stick, attempting to make the first stick either fall to the ground or end up parallel to the first stick. If the second player fails, the first player attempts the same, with the two alternating until one of them succeeds. The winner retains both sticks and then challenges a third player in the same fashion, and so on. Once one player has all the sticks, the player throws the sticks and hides their own stick. Then, each opponent attempts to retrieve a thrown stick and touch the hidden stick. The last opponent to do so loses.[6]
See main article: Gillidanda. Gulli danda (Bengali: গুল্লি ডাণ্ডা), also known as danguli khela,[7] is usually played by boys. It is played with a small piece of wood called a gulli, and another stick called a danda. The danda is used to hit the gulli, which the opposing player tries to catch.
See also: Chindro. Ekka-dokka (Bengali: এক্কা-দোক্কা ),[8] known locally as guti (গুটি),[9] is typically played by women. It is played with either a smaller, broken piece of an earthen pot or flat clay that is rectangular or circular. On the ground, a large box long is drawn and is then divided into six smaller boxes. Every box has a common name, such as ek-er ghor for the first box, dui-er ghor for the second box, and so on up to five boxes, with the last box being known as samundra. The players roll their guti (playing piece) into the first box. After that, the player rotates the guti with their toes into the second box, the second box into the third box, and so on, until it reaches the fifth box. Then, the player rotates the guti back towards their starting position. After completing one round, they roll the guti again, starting at the second box. While rolling the guti, a player sings a melody called ekka-dokka. A player may be eliminated if they choose the incorrect box, leave their playing area, place both of their feet inside the box, or if their guti falls on the line.
See main article: Raja Chor Mantri Sipahi. Raja-chor-mantri-sipahi (Bengali: রাজা-মন্ত্রী-চোর-সিপাহি ) is usually played among boys and girls. Four players are needed to play this game, who each take up a role. The four roles are Raja (King), Mantri (Minister), chor (thief) and sipahi (soldier). Each character has different points. Raja has 1000 points, the mantri has 500 points, sipahi has 100 points, and Chor has 0 points. These roles are randomly chosen by writing the roles on a small sheet of paper and tossing them in the middle of the four players. The player who gets Raja gives the order to Mantri to find out who is the chor from the remaining two players. Mantri receives points if he correctly finds the chor. Otherwise, Mantri's points will be zero, and the points of Mantri go to the chor. Rounds repeat this way, and points are recorded in a note. To end, the points are tallied and the player with the most points is declared the winner.
One player, who is given the role as the "tiger", leaps forward and tries to grab any of the other players, who are given the role of "goats", to drag them out of the circle they are stationed within. The last player remaining within the circle becomes the tiger in the next round.
In Chikka, also known as "tug and trip", there are two teams who assemble across either side of a dividing line. Each team player attempts to trip the opposing team player by pulling and pushing each other, their opponent falls onto the other side of the line.
In Elating Belating, there are two teams who each form a line by holding hands and facing each other. Each team steps forward while saying a rhyme. Once the rhyme is completed by one team, the players try to grab one of the players on the opposing team. If the grabbing team can successfully take an opposing player away, the grabbing team are the victors.
In Morog Lorai, players must hop on one foot and attempt to knock down other players to eliminate them. The last remaining player wins the game.[10]
In Openti Bioscope, two players form a "gate" by holding hands. The two players sing a rhyme, while the other players attempt to go through the gate before it is lowered, which occurs at the completion of the rhyme.
Baucchi (also spelled Bouchi or Boucchi) is a game where one player, the "bride", stays in an area some distance away from the "bride-snatching" team's area. In variations of the game, the bride may instead be considered an "old lady". The bride-snatchers can leave their area to tag players on the "bride-protecting" team and eliminate them, but the bride-snatchers must hold their breath while doing so; otherwise the bride-snatchers themselves can be tagged out by the protectors. Once the bride-snatchers have run out of breath and tagged out as many opponents as possible, the bride must run to the bride-snatchers' area without being tagged by the remaining protectors.
Borof Paani is the Bengali version of freeze tag.[11]
In Chhi-chhattar, one player (the "kite") is surrounded by all other players (the "cocks"). The cocks form a human chain by holding hands. The kite can attempt to run out of the circle of players, and the first player to chase after and tag the kite becomes the kite in the next round.[12]
Also known as Phul Tokka, players are separated by an equal distance from a dividing boundary line. Players are alternately blindfolded and then asked to guess which player on the other team has touched them on the forehead. When players guess correctly, they are allowed to take a jump forward. When a player guesses incorrectly, the opponent that touched them on the forehead gets to take a leap forward. The first team to get a player over the dividing line wins.[13] [14]
In Gollachut or Gollachhut, a stick is placed in the center of a 20-metre circle, and players on the king's team (generally eight to ten players) form a chain by holding hands, while one of these players holding onto the stick. The players then, as a chain, start to circle the stick. Some of them then break off from the chain, with the goal of running out of the circle without being tagged by opponents.[15]
The game is believed to be reminiscent of laborers or slaves attempting to escape doing agricultural work (i.e. grinding crops in a farmhouse).
In Holdug, also known as "tag me in water", one player dives underwater, and the first opponent to tag the player takes their place in the next round of gameplay.[16]
Kho-kho is one of the more popular traditional Bengali games.[17]
In Kumir danga (Bengali: কুমির ডাঁঙ্গা), all but one player stands in a designated area. The players try to leave and stay outside of that area without being tagged by the player outside the area.
See main article: Langdi (sport). In Langdi or Langdi tang, the tagger must hop on one foot, while their opponents must run within the confines of a small field.[18]
In Lathie chhora, players climb up a tree with one of them throwing a stick away from the tree. One player fetches the stick and then touches the tree. Meanwhile, all of the other players climb down the tree while trying to avoid being tagged by the stick-fetcher.
Tilo Express is similar to hide-and-seek, except the seeker must shout out the name of each person they find, followed by the word "express", to eliminate them. The uneliminated players are able to defeat the seeker by tagging them and shouting "tilo".[19]
See main article: Snakes and ladders. Snakes and ladders is a board game in Bangladesh. It is usually played on the Ludo board's opposite side, as Ludo and Snakes and ladders are made on the opposite side of the same board in Bangladesh.
See main article: Carrom. Carrom is a board game in Bangladesh. It is played by mostly teenagers. Many tea stalls have Carrom to attract customers. The Bangladeshi variant of Carrom is slightly different from the professional variant.
Other popular rural games include:[20]