Nepal has many traditional games that are similar to other traditional South Asian games.[1] Many of these games were played during local cultural festivals,[2] but are now disappearing because of technological influence and globalisation.[3]
Traditional games
Dandi biyo
Guccha
This game (also known as marbles) involves participants flicking marbles with their fingers in the hopes of pushing opponents' marbles outside of the playing area.[6][7]
Bhurung
In Nepal, the spinning top is known as a bhurung or lattu.[9][6]
Dhyakki
Dhyakki (or piya) is a form of hopscotch in which players must move a rock across the playing area as they hop through it.[7]
Ball games
Chungi
Seven stones
Though this game goes by other names in neighboring countries, it is primarily known in Nepal as seven stones.[14]
Variations of tag
Kabaddi
Kabaddi (also known locally as kapardi)[16] has been declining in Nepal in recent decades.[17]
Kho-kho
Board games
Bagh-chal
Animal events
Elephant polo
Elephant polo is a variant of polo played while riding elephants. It is played in Nepal, Rajasthan (India), and Thailand. England and Scotland regularly field teams. Equipment consists of a standard polo ball and a 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) cane (similar to bamboo) sticks with a polo mallet head on the end. The pitch is three-quarters of the length of a standard polo pitch, due to the lower speed of the elephants. Two people ride each elephant; the elephants are steered by mahouts, while the player tells the mahout which way to go and hits the ball.
Elephant polo originated in Meghauli, Nepal. Tiger Tops in Nepal remains the headquarters of elephant polo and the site of the World Elephant Polo Championships.[23]References
- ↑ diwakar (2022-03-06). "With no inter-generational transformation, Nepal's traditional local games are dying - OnlineKhabar English News". Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ "Exploring the World of Sports in Nepal: History, Popular Sports, and Future Prospects". Trending Insights. 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ "Call for preservation and promotion of indigenous sports of Nepal". Khabarhub. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ "Nepal's 'national sport' we never had: Five things you didn't know about dandi-biyo". OnlineKhabar. March 17, 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ↑ "Save Dandi Biyo - Save Our National Game - Save the National Identity of Nepal". Meronepalma.com. Archived from the original on Apr 25, 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- 1 2 "Old-school games to take you down memory lane". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- 1 2 SIDDIQUE, BENAZIR AHMED (2021-08-31). "Childhood games in Nepal". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 2023-08-25.
- ↑ Oliver, Valerie. "History of Spin Top". www.yoyomuseum.com. Retrieved 2017-04-16.
- ↑ Bureau, The Week. "The games we played". My Republica. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ Barnouw, Victor (1956). "Some Eastern Nepalese Customs: The Early Years". Southwestern Journal of Anthropology. 12 (3): 257–271. doi:10.1086/soutjanth.12.3.3629084. ISSN 0038-4801. JSTOR 3629084. S2CID 75371463. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ↑ Hamal, Nikki (25 February 2018). "More than just child's play". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ↑ "The games we played". My Republica. The Week Bureau. April 5, 2019. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ↑ Basnyat, Aarti (Jul 2010). "Nepali Street Games". ECS NEPAL. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ↑ "Nepali Street Games". ECS NEPAL. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ Sudevan, Praveen (2022-10-27). "How Pro Kabaddi made kabaddi the most-watched sport in India after cricket". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ↑ "Kabaddi: History, Origin, rules and the Pro Kabaddi League". Khel Now. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ "Advocates Hope Nepal Picks Kabaddi, Traditional Game of Strength and Stamina, as National Sport". Global Press Journal. 2015-04-20. Retrieved 2023-08-24.
- ↑ Hard Bound Lab Manual Health and Physical Education, p. 41
- 1 2 "kho-kho | Indian sport | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-07-16.
- ↑ Peter A Hastie (2010). Student-Designed Games: Strategies for Promoting Creativity, Cooperation, and Skill Development. Human Kinetics. p. 52. ISBN 978-0-7360-8590-8.
- ↑ Vaswani, Anjana (June 3, 2018). "Games people played". Mumbai Mirror. Retrieved 2023-07-25.
- ↑ Tandukar, Shranup (9 September 2021). "Bagh Chal: A native board game on the brink of extinction". The Kathmandu Post. Archived from the original on 2021-09-09. Retrieved 2021-09-09.
- ↑ "Bushell at elephant polo World Cup". BBC News. 5 December 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
A team from England have become the new world champions of elephant polo. Air Tuskers beat Scotland's Chivas, on Friday in Southern Nepal.