Ancient Indian Boardgames: Digital Documentation

Title (dcterms:title)

Gyan Chaupar board (Jain Version)

Description (dcterms:description)

This 'is an example of the Jain version of the game. (Fig.1) It seems to follow the basic rules of the religious philosophy. Though unlike the nine snakes and five ladders seen in most Jain gyan chaupar boards, it has a distinctly coloured extra snake at the topmost box. It is a late-eighteenth century board painted on cloth in the usual 84-box style (9 x 9 plus three additional boxes at 1, 46, 66). The snake at the highest box on the left (76) is the mohani-karma—confusion and desire trying to catch hold of the jiva before it attains enlightenment.[5] This board follows the conventions of the Rajasthani school of painting, evident from the line work on the divine figures at the top, Devanagari inscriptions, floral creeper patterns and red–black colour contrast.' (Srivastava, Sahapedia.org)
Gyan Chaupar or Gyan Bazi is the predecessor of Snakes and Ladders. The Jain version in the National Museum is shaped liked a Rajput fort but most of the boards are shaped like the Lokpurush, or the man who symbolises of the universe, with the three worlds (heaven, earth, and hell) mapped onto his body, illustrating the Jain understanding of the cosmos.

Rules (dcterms:instructionalMethod)

Jain Gyan Chaupar Rules and Boards on YouTube

Source (dcterms:source)

Gyan Chaupar, Late 18th Century Jain game board on cloth in the decorative arts gallery of the National Museum, India. Acc. No. 85.312

Rights (dcterms:rights)

Decorative Arts Gallery of the National Museum in New Delhi

Format (dcterms:format)

Boardgame

References (dcterms:references)

Mohit Srivastava, 'Gyan Chaupar: The Game that Became Snakes and Ladders in British India', Sahapedia

Topsfield, A. 2006. Instant karma: The meaning of Snakes and Ladders. In Topsfield, A. ed., The Art of Play: Board and Card Games of India. Mumbai: Marg Publications. pp. 75–89.

Spatial Coverage (dcterms:spatial)

Delhi

Variants (dcterms:isVersionOf)

84-square (Jain) gyan chaupar board. Gujarat, I834. Calico Museum

Tibetan Game of Rebirth and Liberation (Sa lam rnam bzhag)

Golok Dham

Gyan Chaupar board (Jain version), Lokapurush motif

Gyan Chaupar board (Jain Version)

Entered by (dcterms:accrualMethod)

Souvik Mukherjee

Approximate time period (dcterms:valid)

1780

Tags (dcterms:conformsTo)

Gyan Chaupar

Movement

Rebirth

National Museum

cloth