Traditional games of Nepal

Dandi biyo (Nepali: [[:ne:डन्डी बियो] pronounced [ˈɖʌɳɖi ˈbijo] ^ⓘ) is a game played in Nepal which was considered the de facto national game until 23 May 2017, when volleyball was declared as the national sport. Dandi biyo is played with a stick (dandi) about 2 feet (61 cm) long and a wooden pin (biyo) about 6 inches (15 cm) long. The pin is a small wooden stick with pointed ends. The game is similar to the Indian game gilli danda. The government has not implemented any policies for the preservation of dandi biyo, and with decreasing players[4] the game is expected to be extinct soon.[5]

Pambaram (Tamil: பம்பரம், Malayalam: പമ്പരം), also called the Buguri (Kannada: ಬುಗುರಿ), Lattu (Urdu: لٹو), Bongaram (Telugu: బొంగరం), and Latim (Bengali: লাটিম) is a traditional throwing top used mainly in India and Bangladesh.[8]

Chungi (Nepali: चुङ्गि) is a traditional game played by children in Nepal and northeastern India.[10][11] The setup of the game is similar to hacky sack.[12] It is played with a ball made by tying a group of rubber bands in the middle.[13]

Seven stones (also known by various other names) is a traditional game from the Indian subcontinent involving a ball and a pile of flat stones, generally played between two teams in a large outdoor area.

Kabaddi is a contact team sport played between two teams of seven players, originating from India. The objective of the game is for a single player on offense, referred to as a "raider", to run into the opposing team's half of the court, touch out as many of their players and return to their own half of the court, all without being tackled by the defenders in 30 seconds. Points are scored for each player tagged by the raider, while the opposing team earns a point for stopping the raider. Players are taken out of the game if they are touched or tackled, but are brought back in for each point scored by their team from a tag or a tackle.

Kho kho is a traditional Indian sport that dates back to ancient India.[17][18] It is the second-most popular traditional tag game in the Indian subcontinent after kabaddi.[19] Kho kho is played on a rectangular court with a central lane connecting two poles which are at either end of the court. During the game, nine players from the chasing team (attacking team) are on the field, with eight of them sitting (crouched) in the central lane, while three runners from the defending team run around the court and try to avoid being touched.[18] Each sitting player on the chasing team faces the opposite direction of their adjacent teammates.

Bagh-Chal (Nepali: चाल^ⓘ bāgh cāl, Newar: धुँ कासा dhun kasa meaning "tiger game", Hindi: बाघ बकरी bagh bakri)[20] is a strategic, two-player board game that originated in Nepal. The game is asymmetric in that one player controls four tigers and the other player controls up to twenty goats. The tigers 'hunt' the goats while the goats attempt to block the tigers' movements. This game is also seen in southern India with a different board, but the rules are the same. This game is popular in rural areas of the country.[21]

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.[22]