story of Cricket in India .300 years ago it came to kerala first.[ALSO KERALA'S OWN ANCIENT CRICKET LIKE SPORT OF " KUTTIYUM KOLUM"]
Kerala, is the birth place of the game of Cricket in India 300 years ago.. Cricket has always been a game with a distinct English origin and it was Col.Sir Arthur Wellesley, who later became the[1st Duke of Wellington of Waterloo fame ] who brought the game to Tellicherry. Tellicherry fort:- The British exported pepper and cardamom from Tellicherry. In 1708, the British built the Thalassery Fort on the beach, to protect and control the spice trade from the town. The square fort, with its massive walls, secret tunnels to the sea and intricately carved huge doors, is an imposing structure. English fort Thalassery kerala1720
cricket was brought to india and kerala ;for the british garrison soldiers in this fort,India's
The sport of cricket has a known history
beginning in the late 16th century. Having originated in south-east
England, it became the country's national sport in the 18th century and
has developed globally in the 19th and 20th centuries.
history of foot ball in kerala:- It was only after four decades that the popular game of football reached Kerala. The initial efforts were made in 1890 by Bishop Boyle, a Chemistry Professor of the Maharaja's College{present day university college at palayam }, Thiruvananthapuram
He imparted the first lessons in football to the youngsters playing the country ball game at the Puthenkacheri Maidan (the present Central Stadium) Football (soccer) became more popular and struck deeper roots in Kerala than cricket owing to some of its special characteristics like easily understandable rules and less costly nature.
However, cricket is still a virgin game in the state, even though you can find enthusiasts and players across it.
Kuttiyum kolum (English: Boy and cane) is a traditional game played in Kerala, India. It is similar to an ancient game found all over the Indian Subcontinent with ... a baseball bat to strike the kutti (similar to striking a ball in cricket or baseball).
Gilli Danda or Guli Danda, s a
traditional amateur sport, popular among rural youth in the Indian
subcontinent and southern Europe. It is also known as dangguli in
Bangla chinni-dandu in Kannada, kuttiyum kolum in
Malayalam, viti-dandu in Marathi, kitti-pullu in Tamil, gooti-billa in
Telugu, and Lappa-Duggi in Pashto. This sport is generally played in the
rural and small towns of the Indian subcontinent.
Thing Required:
Gilli Danda requires two wooden sticks – a ‘Gilli’ and a ‘Danda’.
The ‘Gilli’ is a small wooden piece which is about three inches long and
‘Danda’ – a stick, about 2 feet in length, is used to strike the Gilli.
4+ Player
Open ground
As an amateur youth sport, gilli-danda has
many regional variations. In some versions, the number of points a
striker scores depends on the distance the gilli falls from the
striking point. The distance is measured in terms of the length of the
danda, or in some cases the length of the gilli. Scoring also depends on how many times the gilli was hit in the air in one strike. If it travels a certain distance with two mid-air strikes, the total points are doubled.
Some say that gilli danda is similar to
cricket but, it is like cricket, but it does not involve any kind of a
ball. Instead a wooden piece of the size of a bail is thrown and the
other guy has to hit that with another stick similar to a stump. I have
not played this stuff, but I have seen guys playing in the street. There
are no well-laid rules for this game.
kuttiyum kolum[ANCIENT KERALA CRICKET]
It is called dangguli in Bangla, chinni-dandu in Kannada, kuttiyum kolum in Malayalam, viti-dandu in Marathi, kitti-pullu in Tamil, gooti-billa in Telugu, and Lappa-Duggi in Pashto
galli danda
and 'gully danda' in hindi and Lippa, ,in southern Europe. It is possible that this game was brought from Europe during the time of Alexander or by rRoman empire traders
The game is played with a gilli or guli and danda, which are both wooden sticks. The danda is longer and handmade by the player, who can swing it easily. The gilli is smaller and is tapered on both sides so that the ends are conical. The gilli is analogous to a cricket bail and the danda is analogous to a cricket bat. There is no standard length defined for the danda or gilli. Usually, however, the gilli is 3 to 6 inches long and the danda is 12 to 18 inches.
Each team has 6 players. One player (scoring player) of one team will play against other team. Scoring player will have a longer stick (Kol) and shorter stick (Kutti) and he has to hit the Kutty from base with the Kol in different ways based on the last score ends. Goal is to reach the Kutty farthest so that, when the opposite team throw the Kutty back to the base, it will be hard to reach the base. Scoring is based on the distance between Kutty and Base. Scoring player will have another chance to hit Kutty again on the air, when other team throw the Kutty back to the base. Distance between the Kutty and base is measured by the Kol which will be converted to the score (6 measure of Kol is required to make one point.
Sub points are
Saasa (1 measure, if the score ends on this, player has to hit the Kutty placing on feet)
Muri (2 measure, if the score ends on this, player has to hit the Kutty holding on other hand)
Naaya (3 measure, if the score ends on this, player has to hit the Kutty placing on two fingers)
Ighty (4 measure, if the score ends on this, player has to hit the Kutty placing on the elbow)
Aarengu (5 measure, if the score ends on this, player has to hit the Kutty placing on eye)
Scoring player can be out in following situations
1. If the Kol does not hit Kutty when he hit
2. If Kutty is caught by the opposite team when scoring player hits Kutty (when other team throws) and if the kutti goes behind the base
3. If Kutty is so close to the base that we can not measure one kol for scoring.
Each team gets one innings (each player one out) and whichever team gets maximum score win.
Certain games and sports which were popular in the villages of the State till a decade ago ... He imparted the first lessons in football to the youngsters playing the country ball game at the Puthenkacheri Maidan (the present Central Stadium).
Kerala
is known for its variety of sports and games, and each sports event is
like a festival, the spirit of which is felt for miles and miles. The
beauty of Kerala is enhanced even further, especially as these games
exude the tradition and culture of Kerala in many forms.
Let’s take a look at some of the traditional sports and games that are still played in Kerala.
Also
known as the Boy and the Cane, this traditional game is played in most
villages and other rural regions of Kerala. It bears a marked
resemblance to the cricket that we know today.
A
game played by children, you need a round stick and a peg chiseled at
both ends to play this game. It is this peg that is called the kutti or the boy. A hole is made in the ground in a circle shape.
The
game starts with a boy hitting the peg, by raising it from the ground
above the hole and striking it to a distance. If any of the fellow
players catches the peg, the boy who struck the peg with the stick will
be out. If the peg hits the ground, then the player next to it can have a
chance at hitting it towards the hole. If it falls into the hole, then
it would be considered “run out”. If not, the striker has another go
with the stick and the peg.
It is believed that the game originated over 2500 years ago. The game is played in different variations.
Though
it initially originated in Tamil Nadu, the Pallanguzhi game was a rage
in Kerala as well. It was designed to target young children and old
people to help improve their hand-eye coordination and to learn to
count.
Pallanguzhi
requires a wooden board with 14 holes, two rows with 7 holes each. This
makes 14 cups in the board. The game needs two players and cowry
shells, pebbles or seeds. The rules pertain a certain number of shells,
and each player distributes the shells in each hole/cup.
The
rules of the game are mainly based on the capture of shells by the
winning player. The player, while putting in her seeds shouldn’t have an
empty cup after the seeds are over. If she gets an empty counter, then
the rival player captures all the seeds, and starts playing.
Kalari or Kalaripayattu is not actually a game, but a martial art form indigenous to Kerala.
It is all about training in combat and is believed to be the world’s
oldest martial art. Rumors have it that the art was found by Shiva,
Agastya muni or Parasurama.
In
the local language, kalari means threshing floor or battlefield.
Training is given on how to perform in the battlefield, where are a
variety of aesthetic moves, fights and ducks are taught. Kalarippayattu
is practiced in various forms in various parts of the state, with slight
variations.
4. Mud Football
May
not sound appealing for some, because the game of Mud football is
played in bogs or swamps by a very energetic team of players. The
players would be drenched in mud and would be splashing about in the
paddy fields. Usually played by the youth, the game draws a very excited
and applauding crowd, whenever tournaments are held.
Normally,
the game is played on the flooded paddy fields. If you have no aversion
to mud splashing on your clothes, then it’s a real one. The excitement
and thrill on the faces of the youngsters make it obvious that they are
having the time of the day.
Mud football was initially started in Malppuram, the land noted for its craze for football.
Seven
Stones is a game infused with the true culture and charm of Kerala.
However, it is a game with stunning resemblance to the game of Lagori.
Seven stones are placed in a pile and one of the members of one of the
teams will start the game by trying to hit the stone stack.
A
member has three chances to hit the stack, and if unsuccessful, has to
hand over the ball to the opposing team. A member from the second team
will try to hit the opposing team members with the ball. It is almost
like dodge ball. The rest of the second team members will be
concentrating on replacing the stack with the fallen stones.
Goli
is a game played with marbles. Players come in with their marbles and
they have to hit a selected target using the marbles. The winner of the
game gets all the marbles for himself. The game was fairly popular among
the rural children and they played in their alleyways.
The
Hide-n-Seek is popular everywhere in the world, and is still being
played by children. It is probably one of the few games that didn’t go
extinct with Western influence.
It
is a game wherein a player closes his/her eyes and counts to 100 (or
any number of choice) while the rest of the players rush off to hide
themselves. The player, after counting, starts searching for the
concealed players. This game also has several variations, and gets more
exciting when played in rooms in the night.
Conclusion
It was these games that shaped the sportive culture of Kerala.
Gradually, as time passed, these games gave way to other modern form of
sports, but a few of them are still popular among the children and
youth.
Born in 80’s kids will know these games. But now kids play games like
cricket, tennis and football. No one remembers the games like Goli,
Ghilli, Lagori or the indoor games like the Moksha Patam or Chaupat.
Let’s see few of the remarkable Ancient Indian Games which we have
forgotten.
1. Antakshari
Antakshari is a spoken parlor game played in India. Each contestant
sings the first verse of a movie song that begins with the Hindustani
consonant on which the previous contestant’s song selection ended. Image Source
2. Ashtapada
Ashtapada is an Indian board game which predates chess. Chess was
invented in India and originally called as Ashtapada. Later this game
came to be known as Chaturanga. It could be played by two to four
participants and data used to determine the amount of houses to be moved
in the board. Image Source
3. Lagori
Lagori is a game which is a popular game in India. It is called Dappa
Kali in the northern parts of Kerala, especially in Kannur. This game
requires a considerable amount of physical exercise and is mainly played
by boys. This game is played between two teams. It consists of 10
marble pieces piled one above the other. One team targets this pile and
once they strike it then their next aim is to keep it back while the
other team has to block the opposing side from arranging it back. This
is almost same as Seven Stones game. Image Source
4. Kite Fighting
Fighter kites are kites used for the sport of kite fighting.
Traditionally most are small, unstable single line flat kites where line
tension alone is used for control, and an abrasive line is used to cut
down other kites. Image Source
5. Gilli Danda
The game is played with two sticks: a large one called a danda, which
is used to hit a smaller one, the gilli. Gilli Danda is known by
various other names in India. Standing in a small circle, the player
balances the gilli on a stone in an inclined manner (somewhat like a
see-saw) with one end of the gilli touching the ground while the other
end is in the air. The player then uses the danda to hit the gilli at
the raised end, which flips it into the air. While it is in the air, the
player strikes the gilli, hitting it as far as possible. Having struck
the gilli, the player is required to run and touch a pre-agreed point
outside the circle before the gilli is retrieved by an opponent. This
aspect of the game is similar to runs in cricket or home-runs in
baseball. Image Source
6. Moksha Patam
Moksha Patam or Parama Padam is a dice game from ancient India,
popularly known as Snakes and Ladders. It was from India that it spread
to the rest of the world. It was a very popular game to be played its
main purpose was not only entertainment but also to teach morality. The
central concept is liberation from bondage of passions. So the players
move from the lower levels of consciousness to higher levels of
spiritual enlightenment and finally to Moksha. Image Source
7. Pallanguzhi or Ali guli mane
Variants are called as Ali guli mane (in Kannada) Vamana guntalu (in
Telugu) and Kuzhipara (in Malayalam). he game is played by two players,
with a wooden board that has fourteen pits in all (hence the name from
the words fourteen pits (pathinaalam kuzhi). There have been several
variations in the layout of the pits, one among them being seven pits on
each player’s side. The pits contain Cowry shells, seeds or small
pebbles used as counters. There are several variations of the game
depending on the number of shells each player starts with. Image Source
8. Pittu Garam or Seven Stones
Pittu Garam (Seven Stones) is a traditional South Asian game played
between two teams. The game requires a tennis ball and set of seven
stones which can be stacked up to form a small tower. The aim of the
game is to be able to break the tower and then rebuild it before getting
hit by one of the opponent. Image Source
9. Gutte
This traditional game is played by both children and adults. This
simple game requires 5 pieces of small stones. You spin one stone in the
air and pick other stones from the ground without dropping the stone in
the air. This game can be played by any number of people. Image Source
10. Kancha/Goli
Kancha was one of the most popular games among children in the
neighborhood. It is played using marbles called ‘Kancha’ or ‘Goli’. The
players are to hit the selected target ‘kancha’ using their own marble
ball. The winner takes all Kanchas of rest of the players. Image Source
11. Kho Kho
It is one of the most popular tag games in India. It consists of two
teams. 1 team sits/kneels in the middle of the court, in a row, with
adjacent members facing opposite directions. The team that takes the
shortest time to tag/tap all the opponents in the field, wins. Image Source
12. Poshampa
Two people stand with their hands locked together above their heads
and sing a song. The other kids pass from under that bridge and the one
who gets caught (when the hands come down like a cage at the end of the
song) is out. Image Source
13. Kith Kith or Pandi Attam
Nondi or Pandi Attam is a very funny hopping game played by the girls
in many rural villages of Tamil Nadu. It is known as Tokkudu
Billa/Tangidi Billa in Andrapradesh and Kunte Bille in Karnataka it is
played by the girls in many villages, even today. A popular playground
game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a
pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump
through the spaces to retrieve the object. This popular game is also
played in other countries and is loved by all. Image Source
14. Kabbadi
Kabbadi is a contact sport that originated in Ancient India. In the
international team version of kabaddi, two teams of seven members each
occupy opposite halves of a field of 10 m × 13 m in case of men and 8 m ×
12 m in case of women. Each has three supplementary players held in
reserve. The game is played with 20-minute halves and a five-minute
halftime break during which the teams exchange sides. Image Source
15. Krida-patram
The popular game of cards originated in ancient India and was known
as Krida-patram. It was one of the favorite pastimes of Indians in
ancient times. This game was patronized especially by the royalty and
nobility. In medieval India, playing cards was known as Ganjifa cards
which were played in practically all royal courts. Cards were known as
Krida-patram in ancient India. These cards were made of cloth and
depicted motifs from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc. A tradition carried
on today with floral motifs and natural scenery. Image Source
16. Kalari
Kalari is considered to be the most complete and scientific martial
art and is the mother of all martial arts. Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk
from India, introduced Kalari into China and Japan in the 5th century.
He taught this art in a temple. This temple is today known as the
Shaolin temple. Image Source
17. Dhopkhel
Dhopkhel, also transliterated dhop khel and dhoop khel is a popular
game in Assam. The game is played between two eleven member teams on a
125m by 80m field bounded by four flags, dhop is the name given to a
rubber ball used by these two teams. The players take turns throwing the
ball at the opponent to knock them out of the game, while seeking to
catch the ball and evade other players. It is a test of speed, stamina,
and acrobatic skills. Image Source
18. Chaupat
Chaupat is claimed to be a variation of the game of dice played in
the epic poem Mahabharata between Yudhisthira and Duryodhan. It is a
relatively easy game to learn but it does require skill to play this
game of strategy well. A chopat ‘board’ is traditionally an embroidered
cloth in the shape of a cross. Each arm of the cross is divided into
three columns and each column is divided into eight squares. The “dice”
are seven cowry shells. The “men” or pieces (Sogthi)are usually made of
wood. Each player has four men. Image Source
19. Lambs and Tigers
Lambs and Tigers Game locally referred as Aadu Puli aatam is a
strategic, two-player (or 2 teams) leopard hunt game that is played in
south India. The game is asymmetric in that one player controls three
tigers and the other player controls up to 15 lambs/goats. The tigers
‘hunt’ the goats while the goats attempt to block the tigers’ movements. Image Source
20. Hide and seek
Kannamoochi or Hide and seek is a timeless game that has been played
by children throughout the ages. It isn’t only children who enjoy it – a
natural instinct for parents is to play a facial form of hide and seek
with their children from the earliest age, as it teaches children about
attachment and detachment in a safe and caring environment. Leaving
aside the psychology, however, the outdoor game provides wonderful
interaction amongst children is easy to play and never gets boring. Image Source