KOCHI: Imagine an ideal world, where if one wanted to do research on traditional games, one would be able to go through some old texts and find the list of games that people used to play — with detailed descriptions of the board, the game pieces, the throw pieces, the rules and a little about the why the game was created, its history, its cultural underpinnings.
Sadly, we don’t live in an ideal world and there is no such book available. I also think that perhaps if all of this was so freely available, we might not appreciate it as much. The thrill sometimes is in the discovery.
What we have are clues, references to a name here, a game there, an idea. And it is these that we use to understand more about the games themselves. There are times, I almost feel like a detective. You pick up a clue and you tug it much as you would a string, and then take it where it leads you — sometimes directly to answers, or you meander forever before you make any sense of it at all. One rather unlikely place where you find references to games is in old Buddhist texts, such as the Brahmajãla Sutta and the Vinaya Pitaka.
These lay down the regulatory framework for the monastic community or Sangha. Among its many guidelines, it specifies the types of games and amusements that are forbidden to Buddhist monks. These restrictions are designed to help monks maintain a life of contemplation, discipline, and simplicity, free from distractions. The Buddha had nothing against common people playing games, but he believed that those who entered the monastic order should set aside games and focus their efforts on meditation.
These texts list the games that are forbidden and thus is a fantastic way for us to understand some of the games people played at the time. Unfortunately, it doesn’t give us too much detail, but a few hints to the games they played.
Interestingly, the Jain text Satrak ta ga also gives a detailed account of permissible and impermissible activities, including recreational ones. As most of us don’t belong to the monastic order, we can genuinely enjoy these games. If we understand them, we can decode them and preserve them for future generations. At least, they would believed in an ideal world. Because the clues we have today could disappear along with the games.
based on a translation by T W Rhys Davids
Games on boards with 8 or 10 rows.
The same games played on imaginary boards — likely the earliest literary mention of a blindfold chess variant.
Games of marking diagrams on the floor such that the player can only walk on certain places perhaps a form of hop-scotch.
Games where players either remove pieces from a pile or add pieces to it.
Games of throwing dice.
Dipping the hand with the fingers stretched out in lac, or red dye, or flour- water, and striking the wet hand on the ground or on a wall, calling out What shall it be?; and showing the form required — elephants, horses, etc.
Ball games.
Blowing through a pat-kulal, a toy pipe made of leaves.
Ploughing with a toy plough.
Playing with toy windmills made from palm leaves.
Playing with toy measures made from palm leaves.
Playing with toy carts.
Playing with toy bows.
Guessing at letters traced with the finger in the air or on a friend’s back.(letters in the Brahmi script)
Guessing a friend’s thoughts.
Imitating deformities