An early version of the familiar snakes- and- ladders board game, the quasi-religious game of gyan (jnana)- choupad or gyanbazi (game of knowledge) was popular with the Rajasthani courts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially with the ladies. Played universally in India, it is available in Hindu, Muslim and Jain versions. As a pastime the game became popular among Jain nuns and was regarded as an edifying religious pursuit. Subsequently it lost its seriousness and became a purely recreational activity.
The present pata is a fine example of a Jain version. The checkered board, representing the progress of ones's life, is divided into eighty-four numbered squares, each with words pointing out the rules of conduct and the good and bad effects thereof. The game is played by throwing dice. The ladders denote good behaviour and virtues that elevate the player to a higher level. The snakes denote downfall: the player descends to the tail after landing on the head.
The four-tiered pavilion at the top represents the heavens. Its summit, occupied by a crescent shaped siddhasaila flanked by peacocks, is where the liberated beings live. A good Jain should strive hard to reach this goal by avoiding misconduct and attaining knowledge. The pavilion is flanked by the sun god astride a seven-headed horse and the moon god riding an antelope.