MAHA-RATHAS GAME

This game is for two teams with at least six players each. The players hold hands very tightly to form a line, facing the other team, with about fifty feet (15m) between them. The two teams represent the Pandavas and Kaurava armies on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra. The players are maha-ratha warriors.

One army calls out, “Kuru army, let maha-ratha ____________ come over”, and they name anyone they wish from the opposing army. That warrior runs toward them and tries to break through the clasped hands of two players. If he succeeds, he returns to his own army. But if he fails, he joins hands with one of the players on either end of the opposing army. While their warrior is trying to break through, the rest of the army chants very loudly and encourages him to fight strongly.

Then the other team calls out, “Pandava army, let maha-ratha __________ come over”. Each team takes turns calling out in that way, and the game is won by the army that succeeds in taking the most players from the opposing army.