In the Harem

Board games in general are restricted to a contest between two opponents; however Pachisi and Chaduranga allow four persons to be a part of the game. The game of Pushpaka Vimanam (published in an earlier post) is an exception, which enabled a large group to be a part of the game.

This family entertainer reminded me of the group games popularised by Krishnaraja Wadiyar III, the motive of this improvisation is simple that more persons can be involved in the same game.

It is well known that this benevolent ruler had a large number of courtiers and subjects who were ardent gamers as well, this fact is attested in the murals executed on the walls of the game room in the Jaganmohan palace situated in Mysore which depict many games and various partial solutions of the Knight's Tour. Also some of his courtiers and ladies from the zenana are shown involved in sporting pastimes.

Krishnaraja Wadiyar III had 3 principal wives and several concubines as that practice was in vogue during those times. Perhaps these group games were introduced so that the royal ladies got a chance to roll the dice together in the seclusion of the zenana area.

The Navagraha Pagade Ata is the most unique and complex game invented by this genious. It includes components of the Indian system of astronomy and astrology. This board game painted on canvas is based on a surviving specimen at Jaganmohan palace. The circular board has 12 zodiac signs in the centre and 12 petal shaped arms form a perfect rosette to guide the path of the pawns. Within each of the petals nine planets have been incorporated. Symbols and colors of planets are as described in the Kautuka Nidhi of Sri Tattva Nidhi and as also in traditional almanacs and horoscopes. Three petals have floral designs in the centre to compliment the pattern. There are four pawns for each player which match the above description. The movement of the pawns is decided by the throw of three stick dice which have 1, 3, 4 and 6 notches.

The six handed Pachisi and eight handed Pachisi belong to the same genre of games suitable for multiple gamers.

This board game which has six arms can be played with many permutations and combinations. For example, 3 individuals can choose two opposite arms each with two sets of four pawns each, or six individuals can play with one arm belonging to each (two players occupying opposite arms or three payers occupying alternate arms can play as partners), if just 2 persons decide to play, they can either play one arm facing each other or can even play three-arms each such that alternate arms belongs to each player. To quicken the pace of movement of pawns, three stick dice are used for play.

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Illustrations from top to bottom:

1. A game in the harem. An illustration from a book.
2. Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar playing chess with his consort. Mysore style painting of K.S. Shreehari. Copyright: Ramsons Kala Pratishtana.
3. Statues of Mumadi and his wives at the Srikanteshwara temple, Nanjangud. Photograph by H.S. Dharmendra.
4. Board of Navagraha Pagade Ata. Acrylic on canvas by artist K.S. Parameshwar. Copyright: Ramsons Kala Pratishtana.
5. Six-handed Pagade or Pachisi. Kalamkari cloth board by Narasimhulu of Srikalahasti. Copyright: Ramsons Kala Pratishtana.

A Raja's Fascination with Games

The decisive fourth Anglo-Mysore war of 1799 marked the death of Tipu Sultan and the fall of Srirangapatna (Seringapatam as it was mis-spelt earlier), the island capital of Mysore kingdom. This paved the way for the greedy colonial power to establish a strangle hold over the vast sub-continent and then began the plunder which relentlessly went on for next 148 years subjugating one kingdom after the other.

The victorious army of East India Company and its allies savagely sacked the military stronghold and destroyed the remaining fortifications of Srirangapatna. After the death of Tipu Sultan, vehement pursuasion and pleading by the dowager queen Lakshmammanni resulted in East India Company restoring the kingdom of Mysore (which had been usurped by Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan) to the ancient Wodeyar dynasty.

The choice of the king was the toddler, Krishnaraja Wodeyar III, and the capital was shifted to Mysore. This change heralded a renaissance in the fields of painting, sculpture, temple crafts, music, dance, literature and institution building which was continued by next four rulers finally ending in 1947 with the merger of the princely states, including Mysore, with the union of India.

The period between 1831 and 1881, referred to as rendition, was when the British took over (from Krishnaraja Wodeyar III) the reigns of administration of Mysore kingdom by appointing a commissioner and the Raja was reduced to a figure head with ceremonial powers.

It was during this period that the young Raja took deep interest in the art of play among other things now that he was free from the administrative responsibilities.

His fascination with the board games was intense. The painted murals and specimens of board games, pawns and dice on display at the Jaganmohan Palace at Mysore are a testimony of his deep interest. The talented artists in the royal atelier have painted an entire manuscript - Sri Tattvanidhi - running into several hundred pages dealing with varied subjects. The last section titled 'Kautuka Nidhi' deals exclusively with board and card games.

Other materials pertaining to board games have been recorded for posterity in the form of lithograph books, etched copper plates, sheets of litho prints, silk cloths, beautiful game rosewood boxes inlaid with ivory and game boards cast in brass and copper.

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Illustrations from top to bottom:

1. Aquatint showing an English soldier grabbing the bejewelled golden belt of Tipu Sultan before latter's death on 4 May 1799.
2. A painted manuscript despicting five year old Krishnaraja Wodeyar on throne.
3. A painting of Krishnaraja Wodeyar at the English durbar sometime before he was freed from administrative responsibilities.
4. One of the murals depicting 'Knight's Tour' at the game room of Jaganmohan palace, Mysore.
5. Pages from Kautuka Nidhi illustrating two suites of a Ganjifa card set.
6. An etched copper plate of Mysore having magic squares popularised by the Raja. Collection: British Museum.

Mancala Board - New Designs

The design wing of Ramsons Kala Pratishtana has created following mancala boards also called as Aligulimane or Chennemane or Pallanguli, using different craft traditions.

This is a brass mancala board crafted using 'cire purdue' or lost wax process. Along with regular double rows of seven pits, the board has two larger storage pits. The uniqueness of this design is that the traditional design of 'prabhavali', the arch topped with 'keerthimukha', has been used here to surround the two storage pits. The board stands on four legs designed like that of a lion. Two sides have been intricately crafted with the motif of a 'gandaberunda' in the centre. This beautifully crafted board is a collector's delight.

This is one more board with a slight difference in which each storage pit is shown as wide open mouth of a lion.

The above two boards have been crafted out of copper sheets with a splash of bright enamel. Usually we come across mancala boards in which the pits seem to be scooped out of the board. But in these boards pits are like two rows of cups kept side by side.

Game at the Wedding

Newspaper Article

The July 8 issue of Spectrum (one of the weekly supplement of Deccan Herald) carried a well written article 'Games People Played' by Meera Iyer. The article talks about the efforts of Ramsons Kala Pratishtana in research and reviving of board games and also about Kreedaa Kaushalya.

Click on the title of this post which is a link to that article.

Game board collection

These board games and accessories have been collected by the team of researchers of RKP on field trips to different places across India.

Neem wood Aligulimane - Napoklu village, Virajpet, Kodagu, Karnataka.^

Folding Aligulimane - Periyapatna taluk, Mysore district,Karnataka.^

Brass sheet metal Aligulimane - Tanjore, Tamilnadu.^

Marble Chess Board - Agra, Uttar Pradesh.^

Brass Aliguli Mane casted in traditional lost wax process - Mysuru, Karnataka.^

Fish shaped wooden Mancala board - Shivaganga, Tamilnadu.^

Rosewood pallanguli board inlaid with teakwood - Karaikudi, Tamilnadu.^

Inlaid Chess board - Mysore, Karnataka. Camel bone Chess set - Jaipur, Rajasthan.^

Ganjifa cards and box - Mysuru, Karnataka.^

Ganjifa cards and box - Sawantawadi, Maharashtra. ^

Pagade Rhyme

ಪಗಡೆಯ ಆಟ ಬಲು ಚೆನ್ನ
ಓಟದ ಆಟವು ಇದು ಅಣ್ಣ
ನಾಕು ಜನ ಎದುರು ಬದರು
ಮಧ್ಯೆ ಹಾಸನಿಟ್ಟು ಒದರು
ಕಾಯಿ ಕೆಂಪು ಕಪ್ಪು ನಾಕು
ಹಳದಿ ಹಸುರು ನಾಕು ನಾಕು
ಎರಡು ದಾಳ ಕರಗಳಲಿ
ಉಜ್ಜಿ ಬಿಡು ಕೆಳಗುರುಳಲಿ
ದುಗ ಇತ್ತಿಗ ಎಂಟು ಹನ್ನೆರಡು
ನಡೆಸು ಜೊತೆಯ ಕಾಯಿ ಎರಡು
ಕಾದು ಕುಳಿತು ಕಾಯಿ ಹೊಡಿ
ಜೋಡಿಯಿಂದ ಜೋಡಿ ಬಡಿ
ಹೊಡೆದ ಕಾಯ್ ಹೊರಗಟ್ಟಿಸು
ಮರಳಿ ಅದನು ಹುಟ್ಟಿಸು
ಒಂದು ಪೂರಾ ಸುತ್ತು ಹಾಕು
ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ತಲುಪಿ ಮಲಗು ಸಾಕು
ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಾಯ ಹಣ್ಣು ಮಾಡು
ಇಷ್ಟವಾಗೆ ಮತ್ತೆ ಆಡು