Ashta Chamma Classic vs Dhayam 1
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
Ashta Chamma Classic
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Ashta Chamma, also known as Chowka Bara, Dayakattam and Changa Po, is a traditional Indian race game played with cowrie shells. Throw the cowries, move your pawns around the board, capture your opponents' pawns and race toward the centre. Winning takes more than luck. The cowries decide how far you can move, but you decide how to use every throw. Play your way ⢠Play with 2 to 4 players ⢠Challenge the AI on Basic, Medium or Hard ⢠Pass the phone and play with family on one device ⢠Create a private room online, share the code with friends, and play together from anywhere Free and easy to start ⢠Free to play, with ads ⢠No sign-up needed. We never ask for your name, email or phone number. ⢠Online rooms need an internet connection How it plays ⢠Throw the cowries, then move a pawn by your roll ⢠Capture your opponents' pawns ⢠Protect vulnerable pawns and combine them into defensive stacks ⢠Weigh the risks, control the board and race toward the centre Made with care ⢠Handcrafted board and cowrie art with traditional Indian motifs ⢠Smooth animations and sound effects that recreate the feel of throwing shells ⢠Lightweight, with quick matches and longer sessions alike A game with many names Ashta Chamma is known by different names across India, including Chowka Bara (also spelled Chaukabara), Dayakattam, Pakida Kali, Kavidi Kali, Changa Po, Ahmedabad Baji, Chomal Ishto, Kaangi Chaala and Mach Kooki. Regions and families play with their own variations, such as different safe cells, entry conditions, cowrie counts and capture rules. It belongs to the broader family of Indian cross-board race games that includes Pachisi and Chaupar. A game for families Long before mobile gaming, board games like this were part of festivals, summer holidays and evenings at home. This is our small effort to keep that tradition alive on your phone. Whether you are rediscovering a childhood classic or learning it for the first time, welcome to Ashta Chamma.
Dhayam 1
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Dhayam is the classic South Indian dice-and-token race game your family has played for generations ā now on your phone, with none of the setup. Race your tokens from reserve, around the shared ring, and into your own home path. Roll a 1 (dhayam) to bring a token into play, land on an opponent to send them back to reserve, and rest on the motif-marked safe houses where nothing can touch you. PLAY YOUR WAY ⢠Vs. Computer ā practice or challenge a CPU opponent any time ⢠Pass & Play ā hand the phone around for local multiplayer on one device ⢠Play Online ā invite a friend with a simple room code, no sign-up or account required CUSTOMIZE THE RULES Tune entry rolls, extra-turn values, safe houses, banked rolls, and more to match how your family has always played. MADE TO FEEL RIGHT ⢠Four hand-crafted board skins ⢠Satisfying sound effects and haptic feedback ⢠Track your wins, losses, and streaks across CPU and online play ⢠Clean, focused, dark-themed interface No ads. No accounts. No tracking. Just the game.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Dhayam 1 at none against Ashta Chamma Classic's shown. Dhayam 1 also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ashta Chamma Classic ships an update monthly, Dhayam 1 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ashta Chamma Classic | Dhayam 1 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly ā better |
| Ads | Yes | No ā better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod ā better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 ā better | 16.4 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 77 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Appskill Technologies Private Limited | Ultidatum Inc |
In-app purchases
Ashta Chamma Classic
No in-app purchases
Dhayam 1
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Ashta Chamma Classic free?
Is Dhayam 1 free?
Do Ashta Chamma Classic or Dhayam 1 have ads?
Which is updated more often, Ashta Chamma Classic or Dhayam 1?
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