Thayam is the traditional ancestor of modern board games like Ludo, but it is far more complex and involves cowrie shells or long brass dice.
The Board: A square grid where players move four pieces from the outer rim to the center "home."
The Movement: Landing on an opponent’s piece "cuts" it, sending it back to the start. However, certain squares are marked as "safe zones" (Malai) where pieces cannot be cut.
The Twist: Unlike Ludo, you can move your pieces together as a "twin" or "triple" if they land on the same square, making them harder to cut but riskier to move. It is a game of chance and high-level risk assessment.