Lagori / Seven Stones

At a glance

• Seven graduated discs form the central stack in the documented tournament-style version.
• Breakers try to restore the stack before defenders complete their stopping action.
• Public sources acknowledge regional names and adjusted rules, so this is not a universal village-game code.

Player profile. Lagori rewards throwing accuracy, quick hands, short sprint speed, visual awareness, and calm decision-making while several players converge near a small target. Rebuilders need teamwork and the courage to approach under pressure without using teammates as illegal shields. Defenders need restraint as much as aim, because a hard or high throw can make a community game unsafe. Players should learn the announced version instead of arguing from a different regional custom.

Where it happens

A practical field is a bounded open rectangle with a central circle for the seven-disc stack, a marked throwing crease, room for defenders to spread, and a protected perimeter for spectators. The Bharatiya Khel guide places a defender roughly four feet behind the stack for the opening throw but does not establish one universal field size. Organizers should use a soft ball, remove trip hazards, and define below-knee target and no-throw zones before play.

• A central circle holds the seven-disc stack and a separate crease marks the opening throw.
• Public community and tournament versions use different field dimensions, attempt distances, and safety clearances.
• The reviewed source does not justify one universal national layout.

What you need

• Seven flat graduated discs or safe manufactured tiles
• Soft throwing ball
• Boundary markers
• Central circle and throwing crease
• Score and round record

How to play

1. A toss decides which team becomes the breakers. A breaker throws from behind the crease to topple the seven-disc stack; if the attempt succeeds, that team spreads out and tries to rebuild it.
2. Defenders collect the ball and try to stop the rebuild through the announced below-knee hit convention. A completed restack or a successful defensive elimination ends the live phase, after which roles, points, or attempts follow the organizer's chosen rule set.

The essential rules

1. The seven discs are stacked largest at the bottom and smallest at the top in the documented format.
2. The opening throw is made from behind the marked crease.
3. A caught opening throw may end the striker's attempt where the announced tournament rule uses that convention.
4. If the stack is not disturbed, the number of additional attempts must be announced before play.
5. After a successful break, the breaker team may begin rebuilding only within the live phase.
6. Defenders must use a soft ball suitable for safe player contact.
7. The documented safety convention limits intentional player hits to below the knee.
8. A defender holding the ball may be restricted from running or may have pass limits; the organizer must declare the chosen code.
9. A completed restack must be clearly called and verified by the referee.
10. Boundary exits, dead balls, and missed player throws follow the announced tournament convention.
11. Head, face, and deliberately forceful throws are prohibited.
12. No point, elimination, or role change should be assumed without the pre-match rules briefing.

How the result is decided

Tournament formats commonly award the breaker side for a verified rebuild and the defenders for stopping all eligible breakers, but point values and round structure vary. The reviewed public guide supplies the play loop, not one binding national scoring table.

Fouls and penalties

• Throwing above the permitted target zone
• Crossing the opening crease
• Rebuilding after the play is dead
• Hiding or carrying a disc away
• Unsafe hard-ball use
• Boundary violation
• Ignoring the referee's verification

Techniques

• Accurate stack throw
• Quick disc sorting
• Low dodge
• Safe below-knee throw
• Catching and relay passing
• Team screening without contact

Tactics

• Assign rebuilders to different disc sizes so the stack forms quickly.
• Defenders should pass to improve a safe angle rather than throw wildly from distance.
• Breakers can spread the defence before converging on the stack.

Disciplines and variants

• Pitthu or Pittu
• Satoliya
• Lingorcha
• Seven Stones
• Manufactured-tile tournament format
• Regional community formats

Competition landscape

• Federation or association tournaments where announced
• School and community festivals
• Indigenous-games programmes using a published local rule sheet

Records in the reference

No stable record table is published here. Records change; use the current governing-body source before acting.

How the sport developed

Lagori and its many regional names belong to a broad family of South Asian seven-stone games learned through local practice. Contemporary associations have introduced manufactured discs, fixed attempts, score sheets, and tournament calendars, while public indigenous-games projects document a teachable version. Because different bodies and regions use different names and procedures, historical continuity does not prove rule uniformity. This entry preserves the shared break-rebuild-defend structure and labels every administrative detail as organizer-dependent.

• Players switch instantly from an accuracy throw to a moving team chase.
• The same game family is known by different names across many Indian regions.

Play it in India

• Limited public evidence for India. A federation or facility may exist; KhelPath has not found enough dated public evidence to describe a complete pathway yet.

Organisation reference

No dated organisation reference found

Recognition state

Not established by the current MYAS snapshot

SAI NCOE discipline rows

No matching centre row found

Khelo India discipline

Not established

Olympic programme

Not a current core-programme sport

India Olympic medals

No sport-level total in current sources

Evidence and currency

This is an original KhelPath explainer assembled from editorial research. It is orientation, not an authoritative rulebook.

Bharatiya Khel: Lagori/Pitthu training and rule guide ↗ · observed 2026-08-28

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