10 Traditional Tamil Games Children Loved

Ask your parents or grandparents what they did after school, and the answer will rarely be "sat indoors". Streets, courtyards and temple grounds were full of children playing games that needed almost nothing: a stick, a few marbles, a chalk line, a handful of tamarind seeds. Many of these games are still played today, and they are worth passing on.

Here are ten traditional games that generations of Tamil children grew up with. Rules change from village to village, so treat these as general descriptions rather than official rulebooks.

1. Pallanguzhi

Pallanguzhi is the classic indoor game of Tamil homes. It is played on a wooden board with two rows of pits, using tamarind seeds, shells or small stones. Players take turns picking up seeds from a pit and sowing them one by one into the pits that follow, trying to capture as many seeds as possible. It was especially popular with women and children during long afternoons at home.

You can read the full rules in our guide on how to play Pallanguzhi, or play it right now in the free online Pallanguzhi game.

2. Aadu Puli Attam

Aadu Puli Attam, or goats and tigers, is a strategy game for two players. One side has three tigers, the other has fifteen goats. The tigers try to capture goats by jumping over them, and the goats try to surround the tigers so they cannot move. The board was often simply drawn on the floor or on a flat stone, so it could be played almost anywhere.

Learn how it works in our Aadu Puli Attam guide, then try the online goats and tigers game.

3. Kabaddi (Sadugudu)

Few games are as closely tied to Tamil Nadu as Kabaddi, known in Tamil as Sadugudu. Two teams face each other across a line. A raider crosses into the other team's half, tries to touch one or more opponents and get back safely, all while chanting continuously in a single breath. The defenders try to catch and hold the raider. It needs strength, speed and teamwork, and it is now also played as a professional sport.

4. Kitti Pullu (Gilli)

Kitti Pullu, widely known as Gilli (or gilli-danda in other parts of India), uses two pieces of wood: a long stick and a small one with tapered ends. The player taps the end of the small stick so it flips into the air, then strikes it as far as possible with the long stick. The fielders try to catch it, and distances are often measured using the long stick. It was a street favourite, though windows nearby were never entirely safe.

5. Pambaram (spinning top)

A pambaram is a wooden top with a metal tip. A string is wound tightly around it, and with a quick throw and pull the top lands spinning on the ground. Children competed to see whose top spun longest, and some could even lift a spinning top onto their palm. In some games, players tried to knock other tops out of a circle. Getting the throw right takes a lot of practice, which is exactly why it was so satisfying.

6. Goli (marbles)

Goli is the Tamil name for marbles. Children drew a circle or dug a small hole in the ground and took turns flicking their marbles with a finger to hit other marbles or get them into the hole. A pocket full of colourful golis was a small treasure, and winning someone else's best marble was a big moment.

7. Paandi (hopscotch)

Paandi is the Tamil version of hopscotch. A grid of boxes is drawn on the ground with chalk or a stick. A player throws a small flat stone into a box, then hops through the grid on one foot, skipping the box with the stone, and picks it up on the way back. Stepping on a line or losing balance ends the turn. It was especially popular with girls and is still drawn on many school grounds and streets.

8. Thaayam

Thaayam is a dice board game played on a cross-shaped or square board drawn on the floor or cloth. Players move their pieces around the board based on dice throws, trying to bring all their pieces home while capturing opponents along the way. Traditionally, cowrie shells or long dice were used instead of modern cubes. If you enjoy Ludo, you will recognise the spirit of Thaayam straight away, and you can try our online Ludo game for a similar race-and-capture feel.

9. Kho-kho

Kho-kho is a fast chasing game played by two teams. Members of the chasing team sit in a line, facing alternate directions, while one chaser runs. The chaser cannot change direction freely, so they tag a seated teammate with the call "kho" to pass the chase on. The other team's runners dodge and weave to avoid being tagged. It is a staple of school sports days across India, and Tamil Nadu is no exception.

10. Silambam

Silambam is not a game in the usual sense. It is a traditional Tamil martial art based on a long bamboo staff. Practitioners learn footwork, spins and strikes, and a skilled silambam display, with the staff whirling around the body, is a thrilling sight. Many children learned it as a discipline, and it is still taught in clubs and schools around Tamil Nadu today. It belongs on this list because so many Tamil childhoods included at least a few lessons, or at least a stick borrowed from the kitchen to imitate the moves.

What these games taught us

Look closely and you will notice that these games taught real skills without anyone calling them lessons:

• Counting and planning from Pallanguzhi and Thaayam.
• Strategy and patience from Aadu Puli Attam.
• Balance and coordination from Paandi, Pambaram and Goli.
• Teamwork and fitness from Kabaddi and Kho-kho.
• Discipline and focus from Silambam.

They also brought children of all ages together. Older kids taught younger ones, rules were argued about and settled, and everyone went home tired and happy.

Keeping the games alive

The best way to keep these games alive is simply to play them. Draw a paandi grid for a niece or nephew, find an old pambaram at a local shop, or bring out the Pallanguzhi board during the next family function. For the board games, our free online versions of Pallanguzhi and Aadu Puli Attam are a handy way to refresh the rules.

Which of these did you play the most? Every district had its own names and rules, so share your memories with people from your area in the TNChatZone app, in rooms like Tirunelveli or Salem.