Mandap Banao: Tulsi Vivah Kitty Party Game Rules and Twists

What do you need to play Mandap Banao?

• 4 belans (rolling pins), long rulers or wooden spoons per team
• 4 empty plastic water bottles per team, half filled with water for weight
• One dupatta or stole per team for the mandap roof
• 8 to 10 rubber bands per team
• One string of marigold flowers or a paper garland per team
• A small tulsi pot or any small plant pot per team
• One plastic or metal bangle for the host (not glass)
• A phone with a 3 minute timer

How to play Mandap Banao, step by step

1. Split the ladies into teams of 4 or 5 and give every team the same set of items on a tray or on the floor in their corner.
2. Each team stands a bottle upright and ties a belan to it with rubber bands so the belan stands tall. They make 4 of these pillars, one for each corner.
3. Start the 3 minute timer. Teams place the 4 pillars in a square, stretch the dupatta over the top as a roof, hang the marigold garland on the front and put the tulsi pot in the middle underneath.
4. At 2 minutes the host shouts "Baraat late hai!" and takes one item from every team, such as a belan, a bottle or a few rubber bands. The team must fix the mandap with what is left before time runs out.
5. When the timer ends, hands off. The host gently drops a bangle on the roof of each mandap and counts to 10.
6. Every mandap still standing after 10 seconds, with the pot inside, is a winner. If more than one survives, the room votes for the prettiest mandap.

Rules: how do you win?

• Nobody may touch the mandap after the timer ends or during the bangle test.
• If the roof touches the floor or a pillar falls, that mandap scores zero.
• The tulsi or plant pot must be under the roof, inside the four pillars.
• The host chooses which item to take in the Baraat late twist, and the team cannot get it back.
• If several mandaps survive the bangle, the prettiest one by room vote wins.

Fun twists to make it crazier

• One hand rule: every lady keeps one hand behind her back while building.
• Saas ka order: after the baraat twist the host also takes the dupatta, so the roof must be made from the garland alone.
• Final round: the surviving teams face a two bangle drop, and the last mandap standing is the champion.

Tips for the host

• Half fill the bottles with water so the pillars do not tip over.
• Use plastic or metal bangles only, never glass, and drop them from a low height.
• Build on a carpet or a mat so nothing rolls away.
• Ask each lady to bring one belan from home if the host does not have enough.
• Take a photo of every finished mandap before the bangle test, since half of them will not survive.

Frequently asked questions