Temples in India have long been considered to be 'spiritual doorways.' Oneness with the deity, realisation of the self, the aura and spell cast by ancient chants, the rhythmic waving of sacred lamps imbue temples with a sanctity that goes beyond rational explanation.
The temple was the fulcrum that balanced the secular and the sacred. It was the glue that held the social, cultural and religious fabric of society together. For millennia, temples provided man with essential distraction from routine daily life. Evidences of such playful recreations are the geometric diagrams etched on stone (petroglyphs) flooring slabs depicting various board games.
Temples were congregational centres and continue to be so. Amidst an atmosphere of devotion and learning, temple precincts also served as rest-houses for travellers and pilgrims. In these precincts were mantapas or raised platforms around the sacred tree or the temple tank which may even be a temple well. These often served as shelters for travellers.
One such ancient stone mantapa stands majestically at the foot of the Chamundi Hills in Mysore. The very first of the 1000 steps leading to the top of the hill starts underneath a mantapa. On the stone plinth of the mantapa are deeply gouged diagrams of the traditional hunt game, 'Adu Huli' (Goats and Tigers). There is also a gouged out diagram of the game 'Sixteen Sepoys.' The climb up the 1000 stone steps can be gruelling. The steps culminate at the summit of the hill close to the entrance to the temple of the goddess Chamundeshwari. Pause a while at the Mahadwara (grand entrance-way) and also at the inner gateway, if you observe right there on the stone plinth within these gateways are the following games gouged into the stone: two games of Aadu Huli and one each of 'Sixteen Sepoys' and 'Nakshatra Aata.'
Behind the Chamundeshwari temple on the Chamundi Hill is the even older Mahabale shwara temple. On the entrance porch of this temple, lot of boardgame patterns can be seen.
Through regular visits to several temples across the country our team was able to pinpoint the likeliest places where board games could be found. We discovered that evidence of board games tend to occur in such places that are easily accessible, provide a shady rest and are usually on an elevated platform.
For instance, in the open spaces near the 'Garudagamba' (temple mast) or the temple well. Another space could be the area near the Homa Kunda, the Hindu sacrificial altar. Ritualistic pujas at temples take several hours and it is more than possible that some bored participants may have settled down to an impromptu game. Game patterns will certainly be seen at many of these 'homa' platforms and nearby cozy corners which are ideal places for people to sit. Apart from temples there are other common public places where game patterns are found. For instance at the bathing ghats (Tulsi ghat) in Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), we came across the game of Nau Keti Keta.
On a recent visit to the Jalakanteshwara temple within the Vellore fort we discovered a petroglyph of Navakankari. 8x8 square grid pattern was found at the Bhuvaraha temple at Srimushnam. The Tillai Natarajar temple at Chidambaram has umpteen number of game board patterns everywhere; we were fascinated with a small version of Pagaday over there. The mega temple at Tiruvannamalai hosts innumerable game patterns.
Here are some sample images of petroglyphs across the Indian sub-continent, which we have photographed in the last 25 years. These reflect the passion of a people in whose memories lies an ancient civilization.
In this 11th edition of Ramsons Kreedaa Kaushalya we have brought some more new games in new crafts along with all the earlier popular ones. Come, explore and experience the medieval pastimes which are relevant even today.
