Gulli Danda and Traditional Games of Pakistan

Gulli danda is a street game played with two sticks: a short, pointed one (the gulli) and a longer one (the danda) used to launch it. The striker flicks the gulli into the air, hits it as far as possible, and tries to score before a fielder catches it. It is played in villages and back lanes across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, and it has no season, no ticket and no fixed venue, which makes it hard to "visit".

What you can do is find it. This guide explains the rules so you can follow a game, then covers the places where Pakistan's other traditional sports are still staged in front of crowds, and how to join a village game without being in the way.

How gulli danda is played

Sources differ slightly on sizes, and in practice players use whatever sticks they have. Pakistani traditional-sports bodies describe a gulli of about 3.5 inches and a danda of about two feet. Wikipedia gives smaller figures, and says the game may be over 2,500 years old and a forerunner of cricket in South Asia.

A game goes roughly like this:

1. Draw a small circle on the ground with a shallow hole or a stone at the centre. The gulli is rested on it at a slant, one tip in the air.
2. The striker taps the raised tip with the danda. The gulli jumps up, and the striker swings and hits it away.
3. A fielder tries to catch it before it lands. A clean catch puts the striker out.
4. If it is not caught, the distance from the circle to where the gulli fell is measured in danda lengths. Each length is a run.
5. Each striker usually gets three attempts to make a proper hit before being out.

Local rules vary from lane to lane. In some versions the fielder can also throw the danda to knock the gulli off the circle, like a run-out. If you are watching, ask the players which rules they are using. They will be happy to tell you.

Pittu garam, kabaddi and the rest

Gulli danda sits in a family of games that need almost no equipment. The ones you are most likely to see:

• Pitthu garam (seven stones). One team knocks over a pile of flat stones with a ball, then tries to rebuild it while the other team throws the ball at them to get them out.
• Kabaddi. Two teams of seven. A raider crosses into the other half chanting "kabaddi" in one breath, tries to tag a defender and get back. The Punjabi circle style is played on a ground marked on grass, and the standard style on a rectangular court. Pakistan won the Kabaddi World Cup in 2020, held in Lahore, Faisalabad and Gujrat.
• Kushti (mud wrestling). Held in an akhara, a pit of soft earth. Dunya News reports that dangal contests are traditionally linked to the Vaisakhi season in April, after the wheat harvest.
• Malakhra. Sindhi wrestling, where each wrestler grips a cloth tied at the waist. Wikipedia describes it as the provincial sport of Sindh, seen at holidays and festivals.
• Tent pegging (neza bazi). A rider gallops at a peg in the ground and tries to lift it on a lance. It is played in several provinces.

Where you can watch traditional sports

Nothing is scheduled just for gulli danda in the sources we found, so we have not listed a gulli danda tournament. These are better bets for seeing traditional sport.

Lahore Horse and Cattle Show

The Horse and Cattle Show at Fortress Stadium is the best-documented occasion. Dawn reported the 2026 programme as running from 28 March to 18 April, with tent pegging and Arab horse dressage on 1 April, a horse and cattle exhibition from 3 to 5 April, and kabaddi competitions and cycle races at Jilani Park. The 2025 show drew 13 international tent-pegging teams and also staged mounted archery, buzkashi and Shandur-style polo (Dawn). We have not seen 2027 dates, so check closer to the time. Our Lahore Horse and Cattle Show guide covers the visit itself.

Spring festivals

Vaisakhi and Basant fall in the same part of the year as many rural fairs in Punjab. Our guides to Vaisakhi in Pakistan and Basant in Lahore explain the dates and what is permitted. Dates for Vaisakhi follow the solar calendar and are fairly fixed in mid-April. Many local fairs follow a lunar or local calendar, so confirm with the organisers.

Horse sports in the north

Polo played in the Gilgit-Baltistan style, with few rules and a lot of drumming, is a traditional sport in its own right. See our guides to polo in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Shandur polo festival.

How to join a village game

You will not find gulli danda on a hotel activities list. You find it by being somewhere a village game is already under way, usually late afternoon, when the heat drops and school is out.

• Stop and watch first. Players often invite you in within a few minutes, particularly children.
• Ask before photographing, especially if women or children are in the frame.
• Mind the danda. A flying gulli travels fast and can hurt. Stand well out of the fielding area, and wear shoes.
• Don't offer money for a game. Offering a small gift or some snacks afterwards is a warmer gesture.
• Fields, lanes and courtyards belong to someone. Ask before using one.

Good places to try are the rural stretches of Punjab on the way north, or villages where you are already staying. Our guide to Punjab's culture and traditions helps set the scene, and our experiences page lists the kinds of local days we like to build into trips.

Is it worth going out of your way?

Not for gulli danda alone. It is a pleasant half hour if you stumble on a game, and a good thing to do with children, but it is not an attraction.

The Horse and Cattle Show and village fairs are a different matter. They have crowds, food, music and several sports in one place, so they are the better reason to plan a trip. If you travel to the north in summer, keep an eye out for polo and village games as a bonus rather than a plan.

Traditional games face real pressure. Wikipedia lists a lack of funding, urbanisation and the growth of Western sports as factors behind their decline. Pakistan does have a Gilli Danda Federation and a Traditional Sports and Games Pakistan Association, set up in 2014, but we did not find a current published tournament calendar.

Frequently asked questions