Ashta Chamma: Chowka Bara

Ashta Chamma, also known as Chowka Bara, Dayakattam and Changa Po, is a traditional Indian race game played with cowrie shells. Throw the cowries, move your pawns around the board, capture your opponents' pawns and race toward the centre.

Winning takes more than luck. The cowries decide how far you can move, but you decide how to use every throw.

Play your way
• Play with 2 to 4 players
• Challenge the AI on Basic, Medium or Hard
• Pass the phone and play with family on one device
• Create a private room online, share the code with friends, and play together from anywhere

Free and easy to start
• Free to play, with ads
• No sign-up needed. We never ask for your name, email or phone number.
• Online rooms need an internet connection

How it plays
• Throw the cowries, then move a pawn by your roll
• Capture your opponents' pawns
• Protect vulnerable pawns and combine them into defensive stacks
• Weigh the risks, control the board and race toward the centre

Made with care
• Handcrafted board and cowrie art with traditional Indian motifs
• Smooth animations and sound effects that recreate the feel of throwing shells
• Lightweight, with quick matches and longer sessions alike

A game with many names
Ashta Chamma is known by different names across India, including Chowka Bara (also spelled Chaukabara), Dayakattam, Pakida Kali, Kavidi Kali, Changa Po, Ahmedabad Baji, and Chomal Ishto. Regions and families play with their own variations, such as different safe cells, entry conditions, cowrie counts and capture rules. It belongs to the broader family of Indian cross-board race games that includes Pachisi and Chaupar.

A game for families
Long before mobile gaming, board games like this were part of festivals, summer holidays and evenings at home. This is our small effort to keep that tradition alive on your phone.

Whether you are rediscovering a childhood classic or learning it for the first time, welcome to Ashta Chamma.

Recent changes:
• A new look: redesigned win screen and gold-framed menus
• Better translations in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Gujarati
• Smarter computer opponents
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