Gilli thanda (Kittipulla), Gulli Danda Indian Traditional Old Game

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Gilli Thanda (Kittipulla) [கில்லி தண்ட (கிட்டிபுள்ளை)]

Gilli Danda or Guli Danda, Lippa, S-Cianco, is a traditional amateur sport, popular among rural youth in the Indian subcontinent and southern Europe. It is also know 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.
The rules are different everywhere and you can have fun making your own rules. Imagine a game like cricket or baseball but without a ball! That’s what ‘Gilli Danda’ is.

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 groud

Gilli Thanda (Gulli dhanda )Game

How To Play:

  • A small circle of four feet diameter is drawn. In the centre a small oblong shaped hole is dug which should be smaller than the gilli.
  • Two teams are formed. One bat and the other fields.
  • Fielders stand in a position from where they can catch the gilli.
  • The first player places the gilli in the hole and lifts it quickly high in the air with the danda and then strikes it. If he fails at first, he gets another turn. If the fielder catches the gilli before it touches the

    ground, the batsman is out and the second player tries to hit the gilli. If the gilli is not caught, then the distance from the hole to the place where the gilli falls is measured with the danda. Each danda equals one point.

  • The fielder stands where the gilli had fallen and tosses it to the batsman. The batsman tries to hit the gilli while it is in the air. If it falls in the circle then he is out, if it falls outside the circle then he taps the tapered end and lifts it in the air and strikes while it is in the air. He gets three chances to hit the gilli. If he does not hit it, or is caught, he is out.
  • The game continues till all batsmen are out. The team changes side and continues the same way. The team with higher score wins.

Warning-

Gilli danda is a very dangerous game to play. Many a times the “Gilli” can go astray and hit one of the players or passersby, so it needs to be played carefully so that no players or passers get hurt.

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