India is a country known for its diverse traditions and games. One of these games is Pitthu, which is also called Saat Patthar or Lagori or Seven Stones in some places. This game is very popular among children and youth and also a well-known traditional game from Mahabharata period.
In many ancient texts, it is described as “Sapt Ratna Khel”, which is played with a soft ball between 2 groups.You can also find mention of of Pithu game is many mythological TV series.
Being a beginner, if you would like to know about the Pitthu game, then keep reading below as we will discuss the rules of Pitthu game, its method of playing, what items are required, number of players in a group, ground size, and a lot more. Know everything about Pitthu/Lagori below….
Introduction to Pitthu Game
Pitthu is an outdoor game, which is mainly played between 2 teams. In this, the goal of one team is to knock down a designated pile of stones (tower of 7 stones) and then recreated it up again, while the objective of opposing team is to get them out by hitting them with a ball.
Suppose there are 2 teams named Team A and Team B, after the toss Team B decided to field first. So here the task of Team A is to hit the tower with a soft ball and rebuild it without getting out. While the goal of Team B is to stop them from building a tower of stones and for this they tag each player with the ball.
If Team B succeeds and tags all the players of Team A with the soft ball, then Team B will be the winner… But if they fail and Team A succeeds in rebuilding the tower then Team A will be the winner.
The game of Pitthu is quite popular all over Indian and also played in neighboring countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan. Other names of the game:
- Saat Patthar
- Lagori
- Satolia
- Pithu gram
- Seven Stone
Things Required to Play Pitthu
Pithhu is an ancient game, that can be played anywhere in an open ground. This games needs a soft ball and 7 stones which you can arrange very easily. Here’s detail information what is required to play Pitthu game with images – Have a look below and also share it with other on social sports groups.
Stones or Tiles
In this game, 7 stones are required and shape of stones can be either circular or squared. Apart from that, the size of 7 stones will be different in such a way that you can easily create a tower. In short, the size of bottom one stone would be bigger, the the size of top most stone would be smaller as shown in below given image.
While playing the pitthu game, you have to arrange all these 7 stones in same order. You can’t pile up the stones in random order, in short, the bigger one would be at the bottom and the smaller one goes at the top. You can find these types of stones in your surrounding areas you can order them online.
Ball
This game is played with a Soft rubber ball, which does not hurt anyone. You can buy a soft cricket ball of cosco or YBN and use it to play the pitthu game. If you don’t want to buy, they you can also made the Pitthu game ball with ropes, or used clothes. Make sure the ball is round in shape and strong enough to break the tower of stones.
Playground
Pitthu is an outdoor game, and it requires some space for a team to run so that they can protect themselves from the ball. For this an open space, such as a park, playground, street, or courtyard of a house is required. You can even play it in a vacant plot having size around 45×45.
Number of players
Pitthu is played between 2 teams or 2 groups. Each team should have 5-7 players. The one player in each team will be leader or captain, one will be keeper and rest others will be the fielders.
Rules of playing Pitthu
Pitthu is a very simple game that can be played without any confusing, But being a beginner, you must know about some rules. These rules make your game-play better and you can enhance your skills accordingly. So let’s see what basic rules you must know before playing Pitthu game…
Selection of teams
As mentioned earlier, this game is played between 2 teams, so you need 2 teams having number of players 5 to 7 in each team. You can select team based on the age or gender. Make sure both teams are well-balanced like if someone is of age 16 in one team then other team should have a player of same age.
Stone Stack
A pile of stones is placed in the middle of the field. The tower of stones should be same as shown in above image. You have to clear to everyone, that while re-creating the tower, the order of stones should be same as it was in the beginning of the game. Uneven stack means, the game is still on…!
Ball throwing
One team tries to knock down the pile of stones with the ball. Each team gets only 3 or 5 chances, if any team fails to knock down the tower in the given chances then they will lose the game and now the other team will take the turn and try to knock down the tower.
Defense and attack
After knocking down the stones, the throwing team tries to re-erect the pile, while the opposing team tries to get them out by hitting them with the ball.
When Team A knocks down the tower, the player from the opposing team (Team B) uses the ball to tag the players of other Team A. Whoever they tag will be considered out and will be out of the game. So here, the throwing team has to rebuild the tower as well as protect themselves from the attack so that no one gets tagged by the soft ball.
Rule of out
- If the ball touches a player, that player is out.
- If throwing team fails to build tower, they will lose the game… this means all players are out!
Point system
Points are awarded for re-erecting the stones and getting the players of the opposing team out. In short, the winner will be awarded with points.
- Suppose Team A knocks the tower, if they fail to rebuild, then Team B Wins.
- On the other hand… if Team A rebuilds the tower, Team A Wins.
- If Team A is unable to topple the tower in the limited chances, then Team B Wins.
How Pitthu is Played?
First, a team tries to knock down the stone stack with a ball. As the pile of stones falls, the team that knocked down the stones tries to re-erect the pile. Meanwhile, the opposing team tries to hit them with the ball to stop them. When a team has set up all its stones or all the players are out, the game ends.
We advice, check the pitthu game rules in detail to know about what’s right or what’s wrong. You can also watch Pitthu game related videos on YouTube and learn every aspects in detail. Even you can know more about Pitthu from any senior or sport teacher leaving in your area or school.
Conclusion
Pitthu game is not only a means of entertainment, but it is also a part of our cultural heritage. This game connects us to childhood memories, togetherness, and the simplicity of Indian rural life. Today, when modern games and gadgets are prevalent, it is our responsibility to preserve and promote games like Pitthu.
The Pitthu game kit that includes wooden or plastic tiles and one soft ball can be purchased from the online sports store. You can add this game in sport day event and encourage others to play it. This game enhances the spirit of teamwork and cooperation in players and hence it should be played.
Still have doubt regarding Pitthu Game? Please let us know in the comment section below and don’t forget to share it with others on social media.
