MAHA-RATHAS
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.