- Gyanbazi
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Gyanbazi
- Object:
Game
- Place of origin:
Gujarat (or southern Rajasthan, made)
- Date:
late 19th century or 20th century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Opaque watercolour on cloth
- Museum number:
CIRC.324-1972
- Gallery location:
In Storage
Physical description
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.
Place of Origin
Gujarat (or southern Rajasthan, made)
Date
late 19th century or 20th century (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown
Materials and Techniques
Opaque watercolour on cloth
Dimensions
Height: 58.4 cm, Width: 52.4 cm
Object history note
Purchased by the Museum in London in 1972.
Descriptive line
Game of Snakes and Ladders (Gyanbazi), opaque watercolour on cloth, late 19th century.
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Andhare, Shridhar, pp.86-87 and 257
Pal, Pratapaditya Dr. (Ed.) The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, New York and London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and V&A, 1995
Topsfield, A. 'The Indian Game of Snakes and Ladders'. Artibus Asiae 46, 3 (1985) : pp. 203-214, especially pp. 207-208, fig. 6.
Topsfield, A. 'Snakes and Ladders in India : Some further discoveries'. Artibus Asiae 66, 1 (2006), pp. 143-179, n. 28.
Balbir, N. [et al]. Catalogue of the Jain manuscripts of the British Library : including the holdings of the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. London : British Library and The Institute of Jainology, 2006. 3 volumes, ISBN 0 7123 4711 9. Vol III, Cat. No. 1195, no. pp. 330-1.
Subjects depicted
Snakes
Categories
Games; Jain
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection




