"AshtaPada" in ancient India referred to

• Chess was first known as Ashtapada when it was created in India (sixty-four squares).
• Invention- This game is thought to have started sometime between the 7th and the 8th century AD.
• An Indian game board with eight squares by eight squares is called a "ashtapada," which translates to "eight-legged" in Sanskrit.
• It is also the name of an old Indian race game that was likely played with dice and originally played on a board like that.
• Each player gets an even number of pieces in the start to play the game. The major goal of the game is that the player moves around in a clockwise manner and enters a castle and tries to regain its castle while moving back in counter clockwise manner and to finally reach the centre.
• During the reign of Gupta empire the game was being called "Chaturanga."
• The 8x8 board that is used for the game is referred to as Ashtapada in Sanskrit.

Variants -

• Daapada is a variation that is played on a larger 10x10 board.
• In Gujarat, a variation known as Chomal Ishto or Chomal Eshto is played on a smaller 5x5 board.