Role of Miniature Paintings to identify Indian Heritage Game

that have been played before British rule and

its integration in School Curriculum by NEP(2020)

SHRUTI JAIN
Introduction
• During the inaugural ceremony of second edition of khelo India winter Prime Minister Narender Modi address that Sports
have been given a place of pride in the recent NEP (2020).
• Sports which were considered as extracurricular are now taken as mainstream subject and grading in sports counted in
education (Snigdha).
• On the eve of 2nd anniversary of NEP2020 Mr Shah asserted about the introduction of 75 indigenous games into the
school curriculum including Gilli Danda, PosamPa, Kanche etc. (EduNews).
• “The push for “Bharatiya Games” is part of the government’s Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) initiative which promotes
learning based on an India-centric approach by drawing from Vedas and Indian scriptures” (K. Sharma).
• Games were means of entertainment, physical activity, mental relaxation, showing power etc. even today it solves the
same purpose. Games have its own significance in any civilization, culture, country, state, or even for an individual one.

• The main sources through which we got to know about the historical aspects of these Games are inscription, Sculpture,
Architecture, Oral traditions and Paintings.

• Miniature paintings of medieval era give historical hint about the past. Highly detailed paintings with very fine brush
work are termed as Indian Miniature Paintings generally made in small scale.
• These Paintings could be trace back to 7th – 8th century AD in manuscript paintings of Pala in East and Jain in
western India. Started with Pala School the various School of Miniature paintings are: Pala, Jain, Mughal,
Rajasthani, Pahari. Each school has its own subpart also.

• Numerous of Games and their source of entertainment were depicted by them through these paintings. We can’t
even imagine that Games which we play today merely for entertainment are in fact as old as mankind.

• India has given endless invention or discoveries to this world such as zero, yoga, Ayurveda etc. list is unstoppable
including many Games and Sports like Chess, Polo, Snake and Ladder etc. During Mahabharata it was the board
Game Chusar that decides who will rule the kingdo

• This rich treasure of knowledge of Games and Sports reached west and occupies a master position amongst the other

• Although list is too long but for this paper Ludo, Snake and Ladder, Chess, Mallakhamb, Polo, and Dice are
discussed here with the help of Miniature paintings and its importance in today’s curriculum

• This paper provides a clear vision about some of Bhartiya heritage game through miniature Paintings and helping us
to understand including those game in school curriculum is a great initiative by Government
Some example with Miniature
paintings showing heritage games
 Dice
Dice, Marbles, Ball, and
Maze .History of Dice is much
earlier than even the recorded
history. First recorded evidence
of Dice were found in Harrapa
Civilization. They also used to
play board game and toys. The
board game along with counters
made-up of ivory was also
excavated from Harrapan site.
Like Lothal, Alamgirpur etc. we
found some account of playing
with Dice through our religious
text like Mahabharat, Rigveda,
Atharveda,. Images of Dice,
Maze, Gilli like toy, is shown in
Plate1 – The epic of man pg no 89 and 90 (Hawaii) plate1
https://laulima.hawaii.edu/access/content/user/millerg/ANTH_151/Anth151Unit3/I
ndus.html
 In plate2 it’s a board
game checkers has been
drawn in it along with its
counter also excavated
from Indus valley.
Nobody can say the first
instance of the use of
dice, but it has been in use
for centuries for the game.
This centuries old
tradition of using Dice for
playing is still in use for
our many usual indoor
Games

Plate2-Indus Valley Civilization

Website: Indus Valley: A Civilisation Far Ahead of its Time – Toppr Bytes
 Moksha Patam (Snake
and Ladder)
Earlier it was played by Indian as a name of Moksha Patam. It has been
played across India as early as 2nd CBC
As per record saint Gyandev invented this game to teach Moral lessons to
his students
First of this kind of painting was found in Jaina school of art.
This Game was travelled to Europe via Britishers during colonial rule with
some modification and named as snake and Ladder (India).
There was multiple version of Gyan chopar found according to tradition like
Hindu, Persian, Jain etc named as Pramapada Sopanam, Moksha Patam,
GolokDham etc. (Georgievska)
According to Indigenous vesion this game is not merely a racing game to
reach early to 100th square rather it’s inculcated overall details of karma
 Jain version of snake and ladder is very symbolic, and each square
represents karma. Achieving ladder means good deed( generosity,
humanity, praying, meditation) will takes us to heaven slowly and
encountering snakes means evil deed like krodth, Maan, Maya,
Lobh(anger, Proud, illusion, greed) will take us to downward or
again rebirth.
Overall Games include the cycle of rebirth, karma, and four states of
being to teach players the life lessons. Each square was full of kaam
and karma lessons.
In Plate3 it is a humanoid version of Gyanchoupar with two hand
and legs. Human depend on the inner soul which decides ultimately
according to his karma whether he attains the path of moksha or
hell.

Plate3 Gyan Chaupar (Jain version of the game), National Museum, New
Delhi.
Website
https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/11/03/snakes-and-ladders-is-an-an
cient-indian-board-game-regarded-today-as-a-worldwide-
Victorian version of game also
include ladder for good deed and
snake for evil one. Lately this
Game were introduced to
England with revised set of
protocols for the game from
where the game transit from
karmic model to Victorian
Christian model to simply a
patented children race game of
the modern world (Mukherjee).
Now a day it is played as a race
game in all over the world
(Dampier 1895, 25-27).
After knowing the perspective
Plate5 Kismet, c.1895. Chromolithograph on paper and
behind the origin of this game by card. Designed in England, manufactured in Bavaria.
our ancestor we could also Victoria & Albert Museum, MISC.423-1981. Photo credit:
Victoria and Albert Museum, London Website-
include this game as a part of https://scroll.in/article/972864/gyan-chaupar-to-snakes-and-ladd
ers-how-a-game-about-a-karmic-journey-became-a-plaything-for
school curriculum to teach our -kids
Children moral values.
 Chaturangana ( Chess)
First instance of Chess is found in the text of Subandhu’s Vasavadatta 500 AD. It was
developed during Gupta Empire form 6th Century. It was divided into four parts and
called chaturanga.
From here it travelled to Persia in 7th Century AD where it got its name Shatranj .
There term evolved sheh or mat. (Jain). Through Persian it was introduced to
western world.
Initially this game was played as a strategic game for war by Indians .Earlier instead
of queen counselor with very little power was used and Bishop has also very little
range but later the rule underwent changes as the time passed. Instead of counselor
queen became the most powerful piece and Bishop became the longest-range piece
in the board after the end of 15th century.
First World Chess Championship was organized in 1886. (Trust). Now a day this
Game is played in all over the world. Some schools also include this game in their
curriculum because enhance children’s mental health and sharpen the player's mind.

Plate6-Two women play Chaturanga, a board game. An attendant is holding a fly whisk.
Mandi, c. 1805 — c. 1815
Website: The Ancient Game of Chaturanga: the Indian Origins of Chess | by hindu
aesthetic | Medium
 Plate8- Krishna and Radha from Wikipedia
 
Plate7- A CHESS GAME MUGHAL INDIA, SECOND HALF 18TH Website;
CENTURY https://medium.com/halfchess/a-brief-history-of-chess-e5ceeff
Website: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/mughal-india-second-half-18th- df99e
century-a-chess-game--543457880006125285/
 
 
Pachisi
(Ludo)
Plate9 Ragamala: Ragaputra Chandrakaya Of Malkosa
- 17Th Century - C.1700  
Website:
https://www.tallengestore.com/products/ragamala-rag
aputra-chandrakaya-of-malkosa-17th-century-c-1700-v
intage-indian-miniature-art-painting-art-prints
 This game Pachisi was popular and has been played in India from many
centuries.
A 6th or 7th CBC sculpture of Shiv and Parvati playing board game
pachisi also known as Choupar is found in a temple. Board identical
with pachisi has been discovered in Ellora Cave. In Indian Epic
Mahabharata there is a instance of playing choupar game .
It was used to play in cross like cloth between 2 to 4 players with 6
cowrie and the movement of token decides by the no. of cowrie faces
up or down.
Akbar was so fond of this game that he engraved this board of pachisi
in his palace’s floor and played with human as his counter wearing
colourful dress generally women from harem
Eventually the game in this modern time gets its popularity in all over
the world under tha name Ludo, Parcheesi. Ludo was first created and
sold in London. And get Patented in 1896.
In America it was updated as Parcheesi very similar to Pachisi.
Later on, this Game transformed into many modern-day version like
Ludo, Parcheesee, Fia etc. instead of cawrie dice is used for playing this
game. However, with time, transformation in game was done by Alfres
Plate10 Maharaja Sovan singh Playing Pachisi Ca. 1868
collier in 1891 by adding a dice cup. From here he officialy patented
 
the game as Royal Ludo
Website: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/822852
Now a day this game become a favourite pass time for all genre . This
indoor game is also very popular among children.
Plate11 Ladies playing PachisiPossibly Bikanerl Mughal India l Circa- 1780

website:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/ladies-playing-pachisi-1780-mughal-
india--574560864946991604/
 Krida patram
(Card Game)

Plate12 19th century cardboard playing cards

from Rajasthan | © collections.lacma.org
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles
/11-popular-games-that-originated-in-ancient
-india/
Exact written proof of playing cards in India is unknown but according
to Aphilomath Journal the origin pf playing card is India. (K)
Traditionally it was played with the name of Kridapatram during
ancient India. It was one of the highly played game by all the genre.
It was named as Ganjifa by the Mughals and become famous with the
name of Ganjifa.
Rich and elite class was the main player of this Game.
Playing area were this game was used to played are Rajputana,
Kashyapa, Meru , Utkala(Orissa).
These playing Cards were majorly discovered from Orissa.
These card was so beautifully adorned by local artisans that it look like
a piece of art.
All that was handicrafted accoding to kings will or even local person got
their set designed by any unskilled artist. The existence of this card has
been forgotten by Indian as the Britishers started to took this place. (K)
Card game has so much potential to enhance mental ability and surely
during traditional period it also include some lessons as there were
many idols painted on it like in Das avatara krida Patram
 
Plate13 Cards having Ramayana and Mahabharata motifs 
Website- https://headstreams.org/kridapatram/
 Polo
Plate14 Chand Bibi playing Polo
Unknown1700 AD - 1750 AD
Website:
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/chand-bibi-playing-polo-unkno
wn/7AEWM_q-PKpBmg
Recorded existence of this Polo Game is India at Manipur. This Game
was traditionally played with names like Sagol Kangji, Kajai-bazee and
Pulu with a little alteration in rules (McDevitt).
There is mention of this Game in the court chronology of the Kings of
Manipur who declared as a king in 33AD in chaitharon kumpapa .
It become very clear that this Game have been played many centuries
ago before the recorded history in India. (educationworld.in).
This Game was quite popular among the elite class of Indian. Even
Mughal Emperor couldn’t resist its charm and called it Chaugan.
(Singh). Akbar implied certain protocols in this Game for playing, Even
Elephant Polo, were also played traditionally by Indians.
Later on, it was Britishers who popularised this Game in all over the
world.
During colonial India Britishers from official class redefined this Game
Britishers invest their time, Money, and it became their favourite Pass
time.
This game was confined among the rich and elite class of India, like
Maharaja, Prince because it requires lots of expenses. It was also one
of the way to justify their rivalries. (Jain)
 
Plate16 Young men playing Polo dated 1725 A D. Mughal Painting
Website:
https://www.alamy.com/young-men-playing-polo-dated-1725-a-d-mughal-painting-imag
e48368.html
Plate15 Young Prince Practising Polo,Imperial
ImperialMughalC.1730 – Website
https://www.tallengestore.com/products/young-prince-practising-polo-imperial-m
ughalc-1730-vintage-indian-miniature-art-painting-art-prints
Plate17 Website- https://psdmccartney.medium.com/appendix-four-mallakhamb-images-628ebaffe9f4

Mallakhamb
 Mallakhamb is one of those sports whose origin is India. This is purely a
Indigenous game.
The first written proof about Mallakhamb was found in
Mansollasa(1135AD) written by Chalukya King Somesvara(lll).
For almost 6th century there was no mention of mallkhamb until in the
17th century Balambhatta Dada Deodhar who was trainer of Peshwa
Bajirao(ll) revived this techniques.
Mallakhamb is very beneficial to its practitioner because it gives
benefits of yoga, Gymnast and Martial Art joined together.
It needs lots of concentration, Stamina, momentum of body.
Mallakhamb is now developed as National sports of India and its gaining
recognition in all over the world.
It is very good for overall body exercise and especially backbone.
Through Miniature art we also come to know about Mallakhamb For
example Rajput Miniature paintings from 1610 C E. This paintings
depicts various art like acrobatics ,pole climbing to raga Desakha.
(Sharma)

Plate19 malwa, 1670
website:
https://psdmccartney.medium.com/appendix-four-mallakhamb-images-628ebaffe9
Plate18Maharana Amar Singh II, Prince Sangram Singh and Courtiers Watch a Performance ca. 1705–8 
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38058
• Conclusions
• Careful observation of medieval era miniature paintings allows us to understand many heritage games that were
played in our past.
• Painting plays one of the major roles in documenting history, lifestyle, their living standard, ritual, games,
people status and many more. Paintings requires a deep observatory eye who can read that paintings and artists
mental status what he wants to depict in paintings.
• Paintings are one of the important assets for any countries hence government also invest lots of money and time
to study these paintings through scholars so that the forgotten things, tradition, knowledge, culture, could be
revived again. For example India has a rich source of knowledge about Yoga and Aayurveda by reviving the
manuscript and other related things we are again gaining our lost culture which we forgot because of invaders
like britishers . Each field requires revival whether its Astrology, Science, Maths .
• Here through this paper, we finally come into the conclusion that many such games which were played from
centuries in our country, but we come to know about that game through the depiction of those games in
paintings and many other resources
• We are getting and appreciating the modified version of indigenous game that comes from west.
• Lots of Game which was the regional game of India has gain recognition in across the world like Kabbadi,
Mallakhamb.
• Knowing our heritage Game is very important to know about ourselves and enhance our culture, habit,
tradition etc. There were many Games that was played in India, but we lost their basic rule of playing as the
time passed. It’s very important for any nation to revive their past culture to make a bright future.
• The new initiative by government to include Bhartiya Game in school curriculum is a much-awaited decision
and will benefits all those aspiring student who want to pursue their carrier in sports as the equal weightage
will be given to both academic and sports.
• This ultimately leads the many promising talent to blossom. Vision of making India a sports superpower or
hub will become true only when we take both our traditional as well as its modern game and sports together
Plates
Plate1: https://laulima.hawaii.edu/access/content/user/millerg/ANTH_151/Anth151Unit3/Indus.html
Plate2: Indus Valley: A Civilization Far Ahead of its Time – Toppr Bytes
Plate3:https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/11/03/snakes-and-ladders-is-an-ancient-indian-board- game-regarded-today-as-a- worldwide-
Plate4:https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/11/03/snakes-and-ladders-is-an-ancient-indian-board-game-regarded-today-as-a-worldwide-classic/?chrome=1
Plate5:https://scroll.in/article/972864/gyan-chaupar-to-snakes-and-ladders-how-a-game-about-a-karmic-journey-became-a-plaything-for-kids
Plate6: The Ancient Game of Chaturanga: the Indian Origins of Chess | by hindu aesthetic | Medium
Plate7:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/mughal-india-second-half-18th-century-a-chess-game--543457880006125285/
 
Plate8: https://medium.com/halfchess/a-brief-history-of-chess-e5ceeffdf99e
Plate9:https://www.tallengestore.com/products/ragamala-ragaputra-chandrakaya-of-malkosa-17th-century-c-1700-vintage-indian-miniature-art-painting-art-prints
Plate10: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/822852
Plate11:https://www.pinterest.com/pin/ladies-playing-pachisi-1780-mughal-india--574560864946991604/
Plate12: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/india/articles/11-popular-games-that-originated-in-ancient-india/
Plate13: https://headstreams.org/kridapatram/
Plate14:https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/chand-bibi-playing-polo-unknown/7AEWM_q-PKpBmg
 
Plate15:https://www.tallengestore.com/products/young-prince-practising-polo-imperial-
Plate16:https://www.alamy.com/young-men-playing-polo-dated-1725-a-d-mughal-painting-image48368.html
Plate17: https://psdmccartney.medium.com/appendix-four-mallakhamb-images-628ebaffe9f4
Plate18: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/38058
Plate19: https://psdmccartney.medium.com/appendix-four-mallakhamb-images-628ebaffe9f4
 
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