 Variants are called as Ali guli mane (in Kannada), Vamana guntalu (in Telugu), and Kuzhipara (in Malayalam).The game is played by two players, with a wooden board that has fourteen pits in all (hence the name from the words fourteen pits (pathinaalam kuzhi).There have been several variations in the layout of the pits, one among them being seven pits on each player's side.