Seethaipandi
From Wikimanqala
Seethaipandi
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| Asokavattam, seethalakhsmi atta, sita-Lakshmi ata, sita ata, sitata |
| Played in: India (Tamil Nadu, Kanara) |
| One cycle |
| Pussa-kanawa lap |
| This game is a solitaire |
| 7 holes per row |
| Two rows |
Seethaipandi is a solitaire game played mostly by women in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The game's name refers to the goddess Sita Devi. The name asokavattam ("asoka tree circle") is a reference to the fact that in Ramayama Sita was forced by his father Ravana to stay in Sri Lanka under an asoka tree. Then, she would probably, being alone, play seethaipandi (or sita-Lakshmi ata).
This game is undoubtetly the same as sitata mentioned by Peter J. Claus in 1980, a game played among the Tuluva, although his rules differ from this account, because they were misexplained. Claus wrote that the rather monotonous play is considered an "appropriate way [for women] to while away the hours in the solitude of an empty house".
Sitata is linked to popular stories and legends, such as the Tulu story of Maiyage and Maipage, while seethaipandi is mentioned in the legend of Sita of the Ramayana.
In the case of seethaipandi, all other mancala games played in the area are played clockwise, as it is, but in the case of sitata the other mancala games played around are played in a counterclockwise sense. Being an auspicious game, sitata is played in a clockwise sense, an auspicious direction. Sita is the epitome of virtue and Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and renewal. That after giving away the seeds from pit to pit in an auspicious direction you end up with what you start with is similar to the moral proverb: "What goes around comes around." This proverb is applied in India to the wisdom of generosity.
In any case, Lakshmi and Sita are all associated with virtue, renewal and wealth. The solitaire game of mancala, played mechanically, with no sense of competition involved in it, is itself a metaphor of that morality. The board itself is regarded as sacred/auspicious and often covered with turmeric (auspicious) powder when stored. Claus has been told that royal families kept boards made of gold (auspicious) and thought that in this context it is associated with the wife (especially bride) of the family.
Rules
Seethaipandi is played on a board made of two rows of seven pits. At the beginning there is one seed in the first pit of each row (from the left), two on the second, three on the third, and so on.
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| Initial position |
At the beginning the player takes all the seeds from a hole containing seven and sows them clockwise. When she has finished the lap, she takes the contents of the following hole and keeps on sowing this way, lap after lap.
After 105 laps the initial position will be reached again.
External links
References
- Balambal Ramaswami, V.
- (2002) Pallankuzhi, a Traditional Board Game of Women in Tamilnadu. In: Retschitzki, J. & Haddad-Zubel, R (Ed.). Step by Step. Proceedings of the 4th Colloquium Board Games in Academia. Edition Universitaire, Fribourg (Switzerland).
- Balambal Ramaswami, V.
- (2006) Folk Games of Tamilnadu (Review). The C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar Foundation. Chennai (India). ISBN 81-901484-2-7
- Claus, P. J.
- (1987) Mancala (cenne) in Tulu Myth and Cult. In: Claus, P. J., Pattanayak, D. P. & Handoo, J. Indian Folklore II. Central Institute of Indian Languages Press, Mysore (India).
- Claus, P. J.
- (2006) Re: Cenne. E-mail to R. Gering, September 17.
