Chess originated in ancient India and was developed from an earlier 4-player game. It later spread to other countries and was further developed. Ancient India also claims to have invented playing cards and several martial arts like Kalarippayattu. Many sports popular in India today like polo, hockey, cricket, football, and badminton were introduced by foreign influences but adapted locally. Traditional Indian games like kabaddi and archery remain popular as well.

1. Chess is a descendant of an Indian game played in the 7th century AD. Chess originated in ancient India and was known as Chatur-Anga - Meaning 4 bodied, as it was played by 4 players. From this name we have its current name Shatranj . It was from here that this game was transmitted to foreign countries, where they were further developed. Vineeth

2. Cards were known as Krida-patram in ancient India. These cards were made of cloth and depicted motifs from the epics, Ramayana, Mahabharata, etc, a tradition carried on today with floral motifs and natural scenery. The game of playing cards had been invented by sages in ancient times who took the number 12 as the basis and made a set of 12 cards. Every king had 11 followers, thus a pack had 144 cards. Vineeth

3. Ancient India claims to have been the origin of martial arts. Kalarippayattu became an established martial art during the 13th century AD . The art of Kalarippayattu is a dynamic fighting system which incorporates a combination of yoga and gymnastics. It trains in an array of weaponry, empty hand combat, pressure point attacks (Marma Adi), and the healing arts of Ayurveda. Vineeth

4. Adithada is very similar to Muay Thai kickboxing. Fighters use their feet, hands, knees, elbows, and the forehead. Grappling is similar to wrestling, incorporated as part of combination moves in this fighting art for take downs. Vineeth

5. In India, polo was widely played in medieval times. This game was inherited from Persians. It was Babar, the found of the Mughal dynasty, who established the popularity of the polo in India in the fifteenth century. Vineeth

6. Hockey was introduced in India and the game soon found favour among different countries around the world. The first hockey club in India came up in Calcutta in 1885-86 and soon Bombay and Punjab followed suit. Vineeth

7. The history of cricket in India can be traced to the Eighteenth century with references of a friendly match between two teams of visiting sailors at a seaport in Kutch in 1725. This English game soon caught the fancy of the natives with the Pasis coming up with the first non-British cricket club of the country, the Orient Cricket Club in Mumbai in 1848.

8. Football in India was spread during the days of the British Empire. Initially games were played between army teams, however clubs were soon set up around the country. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was the first to be set up in what is now West Bengal in 1889.

9. Kabaddi was developed about 4000 years ago to help Indian soldiers develop their self-defense skills, in addition to responses to attack, and reflexes of counter attack by individuals, and by groups or teams. It is a rather simple and inexpensive game. The bow and arrow constituted the classical Indian weapon of warfare, from the Vedic period, until the advent of Islam. The game of archery is making rapid strides in India with more and more youngsters taking to the game. India has a bunch of young champions like Jayant Talukdar, Tarundeep Rai and Rahul Banerjee.

10. India has a rich pool of international badminton talents from different corners of the country. The domestic badminton circuit is alive and kicking. The legendary talents like Prakash Padukone and Gopichand are Indians. The game of tennis enjoys a considerable following in India. Leander Paes-Mahesh Bhupathi duo dominated the double circuit by annexing a host of Grand Slam titles. Sania Mirza has emerged as a teen idol due to her impressive performance.

11. In India, the progress of biliards has been stymied by the popular notion that the game is elitist in nature and is the prerogative of the affluent class. An impressive assembly of great champions like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira and Geet Sethi has underlined the powerhouse status of the country. Riding on the good work of Indian shooters, shooting is giving stiff competition to games in India. shooting is generally regarded an expensive sport. India has great shooters like Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang and Rajyavardhan Rathore and most of theIndian Army officers. Vineeth

12. Riding on the success of Indian golfers, the game of Golf has made rapid strides across the length and breadth of India. Jyoti Randhawa and Arjun Atwal topping the Asian Tour Order of Merit, Gaurav Ghei's qualification to the British Open and Atwal becoming the first millionaire out of the Asian PGA are but a few of the glorious achievements by Indian golfers. Kho Kho is an Indian sport played by teams of twelve players who try to avoid being touched by members of the opposing team, only 9 players of the team enter the field. With its origins in Maharashtra, Kho-Kho in ancient times, was played on 'raths' or chariots, and was known as Rathera.