Nicknames | Atya-patya |
---|---|
First played | India |
Characteristics | |
Contact | Limited |
Equipment | None |
Presence | |
Country or region | South Asia |
External videos | |
---|---|
Maharashtra – 27th Senior National Championship, August 2012,, Tamil Nadu semi-final match in YouTube video | |
Senior National Atya Patya Championship, Hyderabad 2012, final: Puducherry v/s Maharashtra, YouTube video |
Atya patya (Hindi: आट्यापाट्या) is a traditional South Asian tag sport played by two sides of nine players. It is more popular in rural areas of India. It is more commonly played in Maharashtra, a western Indian state.[1] Atya patya is described as a "game of feints".[2] The playing area comprises nine trenches, coming out of either side of a central trench; a point is awarded to the attacking team's players for each trench they cross without being tagged out by the defensive players within the trenches.[3] The game ends after 4 innings (scoring turns) of 7 minutes each, with each team having two innings to score. It has been described as a game of "militant chase".[4] The sport is played in a relatively small area and requires no equipment, similar to other games indigenous to India such as kabaddi, seven stones, kho kho, gillidanda and langdi.[2]
The national governed body of the sport is the "Atya Patya Federation of India".[5] The federation was formed in 1982.[6] The ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India, lists the federation amongst its list of recognised federation for the year 2013. The federation is headquartered in Nagpur. Its president is H. B. Hallad.[7]
The first south Asian Atya patya Championship was held in Bhutan in June, 2013. It was won by India.[8]