Video Games. Online Games. Console Games. PC Games. Mobile Games. Suddenly, the whole world is talking about games and gaming. But games and play are not new concepts. Dutch historian and cultural theorist Johan Huizinga said, “Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for a man to teach them their playing.”
Over time this play was codified into an activity with rules and goals and thus, was born the world of gaming. This is not a recent phenomenon- in India or elsewhere- for games have been played for thousands of years. For me, it all began innocently while watching my grandmother play the traditional Snakes and Ladders with my son. The effortless way they bonded over the game sent me on a journey to discover and understand the traditional games of India.
Numerous children have experienced the thrill of going up a ladder and the despair of going down a snake. Few people though know the origins of this game or understand its roots in Indian culture. Little is known about who created this game. Some attributed it to the 13th-century Saint Gyanadev, who was a part of the Bhakti movement. Some attribute the origin of the game to the Jains — a pictorial and simple way of teaching Jain philosophy.
This seemingly simplistic children’s game is actually a complex one that deals with morality, spirituality and the journey of the individual soul. It is known across the country by names such as Parama Pada Sopanam (The Steps to the Highest Place), MokshaPattam (The Path to Moksha or Salvation), Gyan Path (The Path to Knowledge) or Vaikunta Pali (The Road to Vaikuntam or Heaven).
The number of squares differ on each board, the placement of snakes differs and even the names of the snakes differ. What they do have in common is the fact that every snake takes its name from mythology and represents a vice, and every ladder represents a virtue. Perhaps the most feared snake of all is on representing anger that takes you all the way back to the beginning of the board! The boards themselves were peppered with images and illustrations that represent various elements of life.
Unfortunately, many of these were printed on paper and they have disappeared into oblivion. Most boards available today are brightly coloured and illustrated, but no longer have the vices or virtues associated with the snakes and ladders.
This game is believed to be rooted in the Hindu festival of Vaikunta Ekadesi. On that day, a special door is opened in the temples, representing a symbolic route to heaven. People would stay up all night fasting and visit the temple in the morning. The game would help pass the long night and was a symbolic journey to evolve as a human being before the auspicious day. The traditional rules were designed to lengthen the games. In today’s world, the rules are often adapted to enable the game to complete quickly.
The morality of the game probably appealed to the British who substituted the virtues and vices with their own ideals. Over time, the game lost its moral overtones and today, world over, people play the game of Snakes and Ladders with little understanding of its history or significance. The game involves moving the game pieces on the board based on the throw of the traditional long dice, representing the movement of a person through life, overcoming vices and acquiring virtues in a struggle to become a better human being, an evolved soul and reach Parama Pada or the Highest Place.
If you would like to help my research and share your knowledge or experiences about traditional games, contact me at vinita@kreedagames.com