Anthi ChandaIndia's Traditional 5×5 Board Game
Known as Ashta Chamma in Telugu-speaking states, and loved across India under many regional names, this classic strategy race game was traditionally played with tamarind seeds and cowrie shells. Now it lives on your phone, free forever.
Game Modes
Play with Friends
Create a private room and share the code: your table, your rules.
Team Battle 2v2
Partner up. Bring all your team's tokens home together to win.
Offline Pass & Play
One phone, whole family. No internet needed.
Leaderboards, Rewards, Themes & More
Climb the global leaderboard, collect daily login rewards and lucky spins, and dress your board in themes like Diwali Night and Mughal Garden.
How to Play Anthi Chanda (Ashta Chamma)
- Each player starts with tokens in their corner of the 5×5 board.
- Throw the cowries (in-app dice) to move: special throws grant an extra turn.
- Race your tokens along the track toward the centre home square.
- Land on an opponent's token to cut it and send it back to its start.
- Marked safe squares protect tokens from being cut.
- First to bring all tokens home wins: in 2v2, your team wins together.
One Game, Many Names
This beloved game family is played across India under different regional names. Whatever you grew up calling it, the joy is the same, and Anthi Chanda brings it to your phone.
Know Ludo or Parcheesi? You already know this game. Ludo is a 1896 British simplification of Pachisi, the ancient Indian cross-and-circle race game that Anthi Chanda belongs to. The original came from India. Now it's back.
- Anthi Chandathe name we grew up with
- Ashta ChammaTelugu-speaking states
- Chowka BharaKarnataka
- Pachisithe ancient ancestor, also the origin of Ludo & Parcheesi
- Played with imli (tamarind) seeds & cowrie shellsthe traditional way
Missing your region's name? Tell us and we'd love to add it.
Anthi Chanda Questions
Yes. Anthi Chanda and Ashta Chamma belong to the same traditional Indian game family: a 5×5 board race game traditionally played with tamarind seeds and cowrie shells. Similar variants include Chowka Bhara, Ashta Kashte, Daayam and Thaayam.
You toss four cowrie shells and count how many land mouth-up, which is how far you move. Rolling "Chanda" (all four mouths up) moves 4 and earns another throw, and rolling "Anthi" (all four face down) moves 8 and earns another throw. Anything else moves 1 to 3.
Yes. Offline Pass & Play lets 2 to 4 players share a single phone with no internet connection, and you can also play VS Computer offline. Once the app is installed it works fully offline.
Land exactly on a square occupied by an opponent's pawn and it goes back to its start. Pawns sitting on home squares or the centre square are safe and cannot be cut.
Yes, Anthi Chanda is completely free to download and play, with no paywalls and no subscriptions. There is no betting or wagering of any kind.
Ready to Roll the Cowries?
Download Anthi Chanda free and challenge your friends tonight, online or on one phone.
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