Pachisi - Fair Trade
Pachisi is the National Game of India. Although many western imitations of the game exist such as Ludo from England and the American Parcheesi, nothing compares with the original. Pachisi and the older and more complicated Chaupur (which can also be played with this cloth version of the board game) are games of skill - suitable for both adults and children.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
Masters Traditional Games are pleased to bring you a Fair Trade product of this ancient and fascinating game.
As this is a cloth version of the game, it is easily transportable and can be unfurled to play anywhere you wish. Although not a high quality item, it is a reasonably priced genuine Pachisi board made in India, where the game was invented.
Included are 16 wooden, coloured bell-shaped playing pieces and three oblong "long dice". Historical game connoisseurs might find the dice useful for other games, too. They are numbered 1, 3, 4& 6. Masters Traditional Games has also included a set of 6 Cowrie shells so that you can play the proper way.
Cloth is approx 78 x 78cm in the cross shape of the game. Note: In the photo shown, the blue cloth is just a background cloth. When folded, the cloth is only 17 x 17cm so will easily fit in a backpack or in a car pocket.
The game comes in a a marble print-effect storage box. This product contains small parts that represent a choking hazard for small children. Not suitable for children under 5 years old.
Change to $  Change to  |
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Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pachisi Fair Trade |
£18.64 | £21.90 | 2 + transit time | ||
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History of Pachisi and Ludo
Pachisi (also spelt Parcheesi, Parchisi, Parchisi, Parchesi; also known as Twenty-Five) is the National Game of India. The name comes from the Indian word "pacis" which means twenty five, the highest score that could be thrown with the cowry shells. Pachisi is, in fact, the younger sister of Chaupar (or Chausar or Chaupad), a more venerable, complex and skilful game that is still played in India.
The Indian Emperor Akbar I of the 16th century Mogul Empire, apparently played Chaupar on great courts constructed of inlaid marble. He would sit on a Dias four feet high in the centre of the court and throw the cowry shells. On the red and white squares around him, 16 beautiful women from the harem, appropriately coloured, would move around according to his directions. The origins of Pachisi and Chaupar are lost in time but uncertain evidence indicates that forms of the game were in existence in the Indian region from at least the 4th century AD. Both have hardly changed since Emperor Akbar played although the game is not as widely played in India as it once was.
Pachisi boards as played in the street are often constructed of cloth, 6 cowry shells are thrown to determine the moves and the counters are made of wood in a beehive shape. Pachisi is a 'Cross and Circle' game, variations of which appear all over the world
In 1896, a westernised version of Pachisi was published in England under the name Ludo (Latin for "I play"), a game which has been popular in that country ever since. The game however, is a simplistic version of Pachisi for children. In America, an analagous simplified version appeared called Parcheesi which was for decades, Selchow & Richter's bestselling game.
You can learn more about the history of Ludo and Pachisi from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.