Temples of Tamil Nadu are perhaps among the most awe-inspiring in the country. The towering gopurams, exquisite sculptures, outpouring of emotion and faith, the many pillared halls, the ambience of sanctity — all of these have anchored them in our psyche as an intrinsic part of our state.
But there is one aspect that many people do not know, do not understand, and often do not see. And that is the games you find there. Temples have long been much more than places of worship. They were social places, cultural places, and in them, and through them many aspects of our culture thrived — art, music, dance, and even our cuisine. Is it surprising then, that games, too, played a critical part here? One of the things we know about our traditional games is that the rules belong to the oral tradition.
Little evidence survives because game pieces were often seeds, stones, or shells and many game boards were just drawn on the sand with a stick. Luckily for us, temples hold evidence of games that have been played for hundreds of years.
It takes a careful eye to notice these etchings and a keen focus on the floors of the temple. Having done this for 20 years now, I am quick to spot these patterns and know where they are most likely to be found — on the ‘thinnai’ at the entrance of the temple, the mandapams, or conveniently near doorways and pillars so one can lean back and enjoy the game.
How old are these games? We don’t know because these etchings can never be dated. But the clean lines and geometric patterns speak of skilled hands and specialised tools. Perhaps stone masons or craftsmen who worked on the temple during building or renovation? Maybe it was a way to pass the time when the sun set, and the oil lamps flickered in the night. We may never know the answers.
One of the games you are most likely to find in temples across Tamil Nadu is the game of Aadu Puli Aatam. This is a hunting game where three tigers and 15 goats battle it out on the game board. The tigers try to kill the goats while the goats on the other hand try to block the tiger, so it cannot move.
Unlike other strategy games, like chess, this game is about the community. It’s a game where the goats need to support each other and bolster each other’s safety in order to prevail. A true lesson in community building. What’s interesting about these games is that they’re rooted in the human psyche, in human thought, values, feelings, and beliefs, and very often, the essence of the game plays out in actual life.
To quote an example, an interesting inscription in the Tiruvottriyur temple, Chennai, talks of how villagers selected a person to be the watchman or ‘kavalkarar’ to ensure the safety of the village. For this role, they were rewarded with a tract of land reserved for this purpose. Failure to do the duty was severely dealt with by the villagers. The inscription speaks of insecurity in the region and due to some negligence by the watchmen, dacoits became prevalent causing great loss for the people. As many as 48 kavalkarars were taken to task and punished.
The watchmen were part of the community. Their negligence affected the entire community. One wrong move by the kavalkarar puts the entire community at risk and therein lies the essence of the game of Aadu Puli Aatam — where if even one goat falters, or makes a mistake, like the kavalkarar in the village, the security of all the goats is at greater risk. This is merely one example of how the essence of our games is intrinsically interwoven with our thinking and lives.
Visiting temples and searching for games can be very interesting. But sometimes we see many patterns on the floors. Are they games or are they merely patterns? It is sometimes hard to tell.
For example, the Marundeeshwarar Temple in Chennai has a grid of 48 squares. It was not easily recognisable as a game and inquiries suggested that it could just be a way of marking the calendar for the 48-day ‘mandala puja’ during the consecration of the temple However, investigations revealed that a similar board had been found in other places across India suggesting it was a game. Did that mean the game had travelled to Tamil Nadu? One doesn’t know. But perhaps some of the artisans who came to work on the grand temple-building projects of our state brought their culture and games with them and played them once in a while in an effort to capture the essence of their home. Another interesting game that we find in many temples is three concentric squares interlinked by lines.
This is not easily recognised in Tamil Nadu as a game but is found in numerous temples across the state including the Madurai Meenakshi temple, the Suchindram temple, the Saluvankuppam Murugan temple, the Tirovottriyur Temple, and many others.
How did people forget a game when the board is found everywhere especially when it is played and very much alive across the border in the Telugu-speaking heartland by the name of Dahdi? What caused interest in the game to die out? Did its charm vanish with the fading influence of the Telugu Cholas? These are merely hypotheses and ideas we may never know the answer.
This much is true — our temples have evidence of traditional games, and we need to capture them, document them, to understand them because, through the understanding of the games, their relevance, prevalence, and popularity, we get to know so much about our state, our culture, our heritage and our way of thinking.
So, the next time you are in a temple, after you have admired the beautiful towering gopurams and the exquisite sculptures and you have ensured that you have made your prayer to the presiding deity, take a few moments to cast your eyes on the floor. For there you could well be walking over the remnants of games that have been played in our state, in our temples, and on our land for hundreds of years.
How to find a game
Look at thinnais, mandapam, doorways, and near pillars. While games are often found elsewhere, these are common places.
Try looking at the stones from different angles. Differences in lighting help make faint markings clearer.
Splash water on the stone slab or wipe it down. This helps highlight the markings.
Take a photograph if allowed. Sometimes zooming in helps. If you are lucky, you will find clear etchings too.
If you feel adventurous, dust some kolam powder on the markings and brush away the excess. The kolam powder falls into the grooves and makes etchings clearer.
Once you have found something, take note of its location in the temple and, if possible, a video.
Take time to look at the surrounding stones and make a note of details. These will indicate the likelihood of whether the stone was placed there later.
Talk to people in the vicinity and see if they know anything about the game.
Do share what you find with me at vinita@kreedagames.com
Beyond all else, play and enjoy our wonderful traditional games.