Pallanguzhi (பல்லாங்குழி) | Traditional South Indian Ancient Game – Box model

Pallanguzhi (பல்லாங்குழி) is a Tamil traditional pastime for kids and women which is played by dropping shells into pits on the board from children 5 Years and above.

This game is entertaining that improves motor and math skills. This game compulsory played at Sivarathri and Vaikunda Ekadasi.

Pallanguzhi is mostly played by Tamil women, both in Southern India and SriLanka.

About the Pallanguzhi Board: The board has 14 cups, seven cups for each of two players, and each cup holds 5 cowry shells.

History of Pallanguzhi:

Tamil women in South India and Sri Lanka mostly contend this game. Muslim community of Tirunelveli which is a district in Tamil Nadu plays this Pallanguzhi on the fifth day of wedding using 25 subunit coins in the hole pits.

The Pallanguzhi board used in the Kanyakumari region which is an end of Tamil Nadu is in the triangular form. So 3 players with 5 pits each will play the board.

The board is designed great that the design is not a common form and not available for other regions.

About Pallanguzhi Board Box Model Structure: Board is made of wood or metal. There will be seven pits in two rows. The palanquin (Paandi Attam) is usually played with tamarind seeds.

How to Play Pallanguzhi (பல்லாங்குழி):

• Each cup filled with Five cowrie shells. There are two players play this game. The player first picks the shells of a cup from her side and move it clockwise by placing one shell in each hole.
• When the player dropped all the taken shell in the cups, she will take the shell from next cup and continues placing. If the last shell completed and there is the empty shell the next, the shells in the cup following the empty cup belong to her.
• The player continues playing the game with shells from the next cup. If the last shell falls into a cup with two empty holes following, she gets no shells and her turn is over. The next player continues to play in the same way.
• If, after dropped a shell into a cup that contains four shells are called “Pasu” in Tamil. Those shells become the property of the player to whom the cup belongs to. The round is over when no shells remain. 
• Once the first round is over, players fill the cups as many of their holes as possible with 5 shells each from their stores.
• The winner of the first round will have a surplus of shells which are kept in her store. The loser will be unable to fill all holes of her side. These unfilled holes are marked as “Rubbish holes.”, that is “Thokkam” in Tamil.
• In the next round, the game continuos as before but without including the rubbish holes. The one who starts first will go second in the next round.
• During the second game, if the player got shells to fill her empty holes, then the shells are added gain while playing. The game is over if the player is unable to fill her cups with five shells each at the end of the round.

Pallanguzhi (பல்லாங்குழி) – Box Model Package Specifications: