Indian Subcontinent · Race Game · 2–4 Players
How to Play Pachisi
Pachisi is India's royal race game, documented in the Mahabharata and played across the subcontinent for at least 1,500 years. Four players race pieces around a cross-shaped board using cowrie shell dice, sending opponents back to start and sheltering pieces on safe castle squares. The ancestor of Ludo and Parcheesi — but far richer than either.
The Board
The board is a large cross shape with a central home space. Each arm of the cross has an outer track and a home column. Players race their pieces clockwise around the outer track, then up their home column into the centre.
Castle squares are marked squares on the board where pieces are safe from capture. Multiple pieces of different colours may share a castle square simultaneously.
The Cowrie Shell Dice
Pachisi uses 6 cowrie shells thrown together. Count how many land opening-side up:
| Openings up | Move | Extra throw? |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 25 spaces | Yes |
| 1 | 1 space | No |
| 2 | 2 spaces | No |
| 3 | 3 spaces | No |
| 4 | 4 spaces | No |
| 5 | 5 spaces | No |
| 6 | 6 spaces | Yes |
Throws of 6 and 25 earn a bonus throw.
Entering and Moving Pieces
- Each player has 4 pieces (beehives), all starting in the centre home space.
- To enter a piece onto the board, you must throw a 6 or 25.
- Pieces move clockwise around the outer track, starting from your entry space.
- Once a piece has completed the full circuit, it moves up your home column toward the centre.
- A piece re-enters the home centre by landing exactly on it — no overshooting.
Capturing
If you land on a space occupied by an opponent's piece (and it is not a castle square), the opponent's piece is sent back to the centre and must re-enter the board. You cannot capture your own pieces.
Landing on a castle square always gives safety — no capture is possible there, regardless of how many pieces are present.
Winning
The first player to move all 4 pieces into the centre home space wins. Each piece must travel the full circuit and land exactly on the home space.
Strategy Tips
- Enter pieces early. Getting multiple pieces into play gives you more options each turn and makes it harder for opponents to target you.
- Use castle squares as staging posts. Cluster pieces at castles to advance safely in groups.
- Target vulnerable stragglers. An opponent's lone piece far from a castle is worth chasing — sending it back wastes several of their future turns.
Cultural Context
Pachisi has been played on the Indian subcontinent for at least 1,500 years. Its name derives from pacīs, the Hindi word for 25 — the highest throw. The Mahabharata describes a fateful dice game resembling Pachisi, played with human pieces, that triggered a kingdom's downfall.
The Mughal Emperor Akbar was famously devoted to Pachisi. He had a giant court built at Fatehpur Sikri in the 1560s where palace servants dressed in colored uniforms served as living game pieces, directed by Akbar and his courtiers from a high throne at the board's centre. European visitors' accounts of this spectacle helped spread knowledge of the game westward.
When British colonists adapted the game in the 1860s, they replaced the cowrie shells with a numbered teetotum (spinner) and simplified the rules into Parcheesi — and later Ludo. Both remain best-selling games today, but neither matches the strategic depth and drama of the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Pachisi?
In Pachisi, two to four players each race four pieces clockwise around a cross-shaped board using six cowrie shells thrown as dice, with the number of shells landing opening-side up determining how many spaces a piece moves. Pieces enter the board on a throw of 6 or 25, can capture opponents by landing on their space, and are safe from capture while resting on marked castle squares.
Where does Pachisi come from?
Pachisi is India's royal race game, played across the Indian subcontinent for at least 1,500 years and described in the Mahabharata. Its name comes from pacis, the Hindi word for 25, the highest throw, and the Mughal Emperor Akbar famously played it on a giant court at Fatehpur Sikri using costumed servants as living game pieces.
How do you win at Pachisi?
A player wins Pachisi by being the first to move all four of their pieces into the central home space. Each piece must travel the full circuit around the board and land exactly on the home space without overshooting.
How many players do you need to play Pachisi?
Pachisi is played by two to four players, with each player controlling four pieces of their own color.
Can I play Pachisi online for free?
Yes, Pachisi can be played for free on Cultural Games at playculturalgames.com, directly in any web browser with no download and no account required. Players can compete against the computer or a friend.
What dice does Pachisi use instead of regular dice?
Pachisi uses six cowrie shells thrown together rather than numbered dice, and the move is determined by how many shells land opening-side up. Throws where no shells or all six show their openings count as 25 and 6 spaces respectively and each earn a bonus throw.
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