🎲 Pachisi – The Royal Game that Evolved into Ludo

Pachisi board (cross-shaped) with cowrie shells

📖 Origin & History

Pachisi is a classic cross-and-circle board game that originated in India, often called the “Game of Kings.” It was famously played on large, embroidered cloth boards in royal courts— most notably by Mughal Emperor Akbar, who staged life-sized games on the courtyards of Fatehpur Sikri. Players moved tokens around a cross-shaped board based on throws of cowrie shells.

💡 Did You Know?

🌀 Traditional Pachisi uses cowrie shells instead of dice; the count of open shells decides the move.

✳️ The board is a four-armed cross; each arm is a track leading to the center (the “home”).

👑 Akbar reportedly used court attendants as human pieces on giant courtyard boards.

🌍 Pachisi inspired Western versions like Parcheesi (USA) and Ludo (UK).

🔁 Evolution → Parcheesi → Ludo

16th–18th c. — Pachisi flourishes in Indian courts and households.

19th c. — British adapt the game with dice & simplified rules → Ludo.

20th c. — American variant Parcheesi popularizes it in the West.

Today — Ludo becomes a global family favorite (and a mobile-game hit), but Pachisi remains a cherished part of India’s gaming heritage.

🧩 How It’s Played (Classic Pachisi)

Each player has 4 tokens starting in their arm’s base; goal is to reach the center “home.”
Movement is determined by throwing 6 or 7 cowries (different open/closed combos = different counts).
Landing on an opponent’s token sends it back to base (capture), adding strategy & blocking.
Safe squares (often marked) protect tokens from capture.

🎲 Pachisi – The Royal Game that Evolved into Ludo

📖 Origin & History

💡 Did You Know?

🔁 Evolution → Parcheesi → Ludo

🧩 How It’s Played (Classic Pachisi)

🎯 Quick Quiz

What did Pachisi traditionally use to determine moves?