Pallanguzhi is the seed-sowing game from South India, played on a long wooden board with two rows of pits (kuzhi). It belongs to the mancala family, games where you pick up seeds and drop them one by one around the board. In Karnataka a close cousin is called Ali Guli Mane. Many North Indian players have never seen it, and it is one of the most satisfying games to learn: the moment a long chain of sowing ends right next to a full pit feels great.
Families play many versions, so Mandli plays one clear set, the Mandli rules, explained below. Then you can play Pallanguzhi online with a friend while others watch and talk on voice.
Kya chahiye: Just phones. The app sows the seeds for you and shows the count in every pit.
Rules: kaise khelte hain
The board
The board has two rows of 7 pits. The row nearest you is yours. Each pit starts with 5 seeds, 70 in all. Each player also has a store (bhandaar) for the seeds they capture. The challenger moves first.
Pick and sow
On your turn, choose any pit on your side that has seeds and take all of them. Going anticlockwise, along your row and then back along your opponent's row, drop one seed into each pit, starting with the next pit. If you go all the way round, the pit you picked from is skipped.
Look at the next pit
When your last seed drops, look at the pit right after it:
- It has seeds: pick them all up and keep sowing from the pit after it. This chain can go on for a long time.
- It is empty: you capture every seed in the pit after that empty pit, and your turn ends.
- It and the pit after it are both empty: you capture nothing, and your turn ends.
Pasu: exactly four
Whenever sowing makes any pit hold exactly 4 seeds, the owner of that row takes those 4 into their store straight away, and the sowing carries on. This happens on both sides, so your sowing can give seeds to your opponent too. It is the host option "Pasu", on by default.
End of the game
When the player to move has no seeds on their side, the game ends. The other player adds every seed left on their own side to their store. More seeds in the store wins. 35 each is a draw.
Time
You have 20 seconds to pick a pit. If time runs out, the app picks one for you. Three timeouts in a row lose the game. Players can also offer a draw or resign.
Points kaise milte hain
A win is worth 20 points, plus 3 more if you win by 20 or more seeds (Bhandaar bhara). A draw gives 8 each, and a loss gives 2. Points carry across games in the same room.
Jeetne ke tips
- Before you pick, count where the last seed will land. The pit after it decides everything.
- Look for moves that end just before an empty pit with a full pit behind it. That is a big capture.
- Watch the pits sitting on 3. One more seed there makes a pasu for whoever owns that row.
- Keep a few seeds on your side late in the game. If you run out on your turn, the game ends and your opponent keeps everything on their side.
- Long relay chains are hard to predict. When you are ahead, pick the simple move you can count.
Ghar wale rules aur variants
At home the game often goes on for several rounds. A player who can't fill all their pits at the start of a round leaves some empty, until one player can't fill even one. Mandli plays one round per game.
Families use different numbers of seeds per pit, and some treat certain pits specially. Mandli always starts with 5 in each of the 14 pits.
Some people don't play the pasu rule at all. In Mandli the host can switch pasu off in the lobby.
Pallanguzhi online kaise khelein
Make a room in Mandli, share the link on WhatsApp or show the QR code, and pick Pallanguzhi. Friends without the app join from the browser link. The board turns so your row is always at the bottom, every pit shows its count, and the sowing is animated seed by seed, so the chains are easy to follow. Two play while everyone else in the room watches the same board, taps reactions and talks on voice. The winner stays and the next person in the queue sits down. In Saath mode you play side by side; in Door mode the voice chat inside the game keeps you together. A dropped player's seat is held for 60 seconds.
Sawaal jawaab
How do you play Pallanguzhi?
Pick all the seeds from a pit on your side and sow them one by one anticlockwise. If the next pit has seeds, keep sowing from it. If it is empty, capture the pit after it. Most seeds in your store wins.
Is Pallanguzhi a mancala game?
Yes. Pallanguzhi is part of the mancala family of seed-sowing games, played in South India on a board with 14 pits.
What is pasu in Pallanguzhi?
When a pit reaches exactly 4 seeds during sowing, the owner of that row takes those 4 seeds. In Mandli pasu is on by default and the host can switch it off.
How many seeds are used in Pallanguzhi?
In Mandli, 70 seeds: 5 in each of the 14 pits. Families at home often use a different number.
Can I play Pallanguzhi online with a friend?
Yes. Mandli is free, has no ads and needs no login. Share the room link on WhatsApp and play with voice chat inside the game.