Sadurangam (400)

Chowka bhara

Chowka Bhara, also known as Ashta Chamma, is a traditional board game from India that has been played for centuries. It is believed to have originated in present-day Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, or Karnataka. The game is fully observable and has an element of chance introduced by the roll of special dice and an element of strategy, which is the pawn the player decides to move after the roll of the dice. The game finds its most prominent mention in the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.

Why is Chowka bhara Popular?

Chowka Bhara is a popular game in India and is still played in certain parts of the country. It is significant because it is one of the oldest board games in existence and has been played for centuries. The game is also an example of a fully observable system that has an element of chance and strategy, making it an engaging and challenging game to play.

Game Components of Chowka bhara

A 5×5 square board (or any odd number squared board)Four playersCowry shells or diceEach player has four pawns

Game Setup of Chowka bhara

Assuming the size of the board is NxN (with N being odd), then each player will have N-1 pawns. The 5×5 version is shown in the example diagram.

Gameplay Mechanics of Chowka bhara

Players roll cowry shells or dice to determine the number of squares their pawn can move.The pawns move in a clockwise direction around the board.The objective is to move all four pawns from the starting point to the home square in the center of the board.

Game Objective of Chowka bhara

The objective of Chowka Bhara is to move all four pawns from the starting point to the home square in the center of the board.

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