Chaupar is a board game played in India very similar to Pachisi. There are palaces in Allahabad and Agra which served as giant boards of Chaupar for the Indian Emperor Akbar I from the Mogul Empire in the 16th century. The board was made of inlaid marble and it had red and white squares. He used to sit in the center and toss the shells. 16 women from his harem were the pawns and they moved the way he told them It is believed that both games were created around 4th century A.D. The board is made of wool or cloth. The dice are 6 cauri shells and the pawns are made of wood. It's usually played on a table or on the floor.
There are no value of the dice to gain an extra turn.
There are no safe squares
The pawns do not get out from the Charkoni (nest) square, but from 6, 7, 23 and 24 positions
Pawns can be converted into "super pawns". If 2 or more from the same player are placed in the same square, they can move as a single pawn and can only be eaten by another super pawn
It is not allowed to forfeit the turn voluntarily (unlike Pachisi)
Related board games are: Pachisi, Parques, Ludo, Parcheesi, Patolli, Parchis
