Goats and Tigers | Silk Zari

Goats and Tigers (known traditionally as Adu Huli Ata) is a classic Indian hunt strategy board game for 2 players. One player commands 3 tigers, fierce and outnumbered, while the other marshals a flock of 16 goats — individually vulnerable, but powerful as a collective. No wooden cowries or dice are needed; this is a game decided entirely by wit and positioning.

The tigers hunt aggressively, leaping over lone goats to eliminate them one by one, while the goats work to hem the predators in until none can move. The asymmetry is what makes it so compelling — the tigers need only take out 6 goats to win, but the goats need discipline and coordination to surround all three. A lapse in either camp can swing the game entirely.

This board is handcrafted in Silk Zari, with the pyramid-shaped game grid embroidered in lustrous metallic zari thread against a deep silk ground. Flanking the apex are two medallions, each enclosing an intricately worked zari portrait — a goat on one side, a tiger on the other — rendered in the fine curvilinear style characteristic of traditional Indian thread work. A decorative zari flourish crowns the top of the pyramid, and the entire playing field is bordered by a dense rope-twist zari pattern that runs all four sides with great precision.

Tigers win by capturing at least 6 goats; goats win by immobilising all three tigers. Each set includes the game board, 16 goat counters, and 3 tiger counters.

Part of Ramsons Kreedaa Kaushalya — traditional Indian board games researched, revived, and handcrafted in Mysore since 1970.

🤲 Because this is a 100% handmade product, every piece is one of a kind. The stitching, thread colour, and pawns may vary slightly from what you see in the images — and that's exactly what makes yours truly unique. No two boards are ever exactly alike; each carries the individual touch of the artisan who made it.