Taash Khelअंदर बाहर · ಕಟ್ಟಿ · மங்காத்தா
Katti, Mangatha and Andar Bahar
The same game, named separately in four languages, because it spread by word of mouth long before anyone wrote it down.
They are one game. Andar Bahar, Katti, Mangatha and Ullae Veliyae all describe the same deal: a centre card, two sides, and cards dealt alternately until the rank repeats.
What changes is the vocabulary — and occasionally which side is dealt first.
The names
| Name | Script | Region | Literal meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andar Bahar | अंदर बाहर | Hindi belt, Maharashtra | Inside — outside |
| Katti | ಕಟ್ಟಿ | Karnataka | Cut |
| Mangatha | மங்காத்தா | Tamil Nadu | Regional term for the game |
| Ullae Veliyae | உள்ளே வெளியே | Tamil Nadu | Inside — outside |
Two of the four names are literal translations of each other. Andar Bahar in Hindi and Ullae Veliyae in Tamil both mean inside — outside, which is simply a description of the two piles. Katti refers instead to the cut that produces the centre card.
What actually differs between regions
Very little, and none of it changes who can win.
Which side gets the first card
The widely documented rule sets this by the colour of the centre card: a black centre card deals first to Andar, a red one deals first to Bahar. The side dealt to first has the slight edge, so the advantage moves between the two sides depending on what turns up.
Some home games drop the colour rule and simply always deal to one side first, which fixes the edge on that side permanently. This is the one variation worth confirming before you play, because it is the only rule that changes the odds at all.
Table vocabulary
The centre card is usually just called the joker or the house card in Hindi, but in Karnataka you will hear the cut itself named, and in Tamil the two piles are called by their own words rather than as a borrowed pair.
Why one game ended up with four names
Andar Bahar has no single written origin. It spread through southern India as a household game, particularly around festivals, and each language region named it in its own words rather than adopting anyone else's.
The result is that a Bengaluru player and a Chennai player can sit at the same table, use completely different words for every part of the game, and still play a perfectly ordinary round together — because the game itself never needed the vocabulary to work.
Common questions
What is Katti card game?
Katti is the Karnataka name for Andar Bahar. The rules are identical — a centre card is turned up, cards are dealt alternately to two sides, and the side that first receives a matching rank wins.
What is Mangatha?
Mangatha is a Tamil Nadu name for the same game as Andar Bahar. It is also called Ullae Veliyae, which translates directly as inside-outside.
Is Katti the same game as Andar Bahar?
Yes. Only the name and some table vocabulary change between regions. The deal, the two sides and the winning condition are the same everywhere.
Why does Andar Bahar have so many names?
It spread orally across southern India long before it was ever written down, so each language region named it in its own words. Andar Bahar and Ullae Veliyae both mean inside-outside; Katti means cut.
What is Ullae Veliyae?
The Tamil name for Andar Bahar — see Katti, Mangatha and Andar Bahar. It translates directly as inside-outside, which is exactly what Andar Bahar means in Hindi, so the two names describe the same two piles.
Where did Andar Bahar originate?
It is said to have originated in Bengaluru in Karnataka, and spread orally across southern India before it was written down anywhere - which is why each language region named it independently.
Is Mangatha the same as Katti?
They are two names for the same game — see Katti and Mangatha. Mangatha is used in Tamil Nadu and Katti in Karnataka, and both describe what Hindi speakers call Andar Bahar.
Katti, Mangatha or Andar Bahar — the app plays the rules on this page. A free Andar Bahar card game download for Android.
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