The Royal Abode of Govindji

Quarter of a century ago as a teenager on a business trip with my father I visited a city which has mesmerised me ever since. Belonging to a family which is involved in retailing Indian handicrafts and handlooms, traveling across the sub-continent to a select towns and cities to understand and analyse the process of manufacture and purchase artefacts and textiles came to me quite early.

Countless trips to the same city, she beckons me time and again and each trip has been an experience worth cherishing. It was here, long ago, that I tasted a 'paan' for the first time; I diligently chewed every bit of it releasing sweet juicy concoction in my mouth which I swallowed - I have remained a connoisseur of paan ever since.

The old city is enclosed within massive fort walls and entry is through huge gates; a guardian deity at each of these gates is dutifully worshipped till date. My favourite among them is Hanuman who is always magnificently attired and the most amusing sight was when the lord was shown wearing a Jodhpuri bandh-gala - a long coat with closed collars.

One of the magnificent sights of the pink city of Jaipur is the 17th century palace complex within which is the temple dedicated to Govindji. The sandhya aarati bhajans sung by a devout band every evening has a soothing effect on the minds of the faithful.

I visited Jaipur with Raghu this January. On a leisurely walk towards the Albert's Museum, on the wintry morning, I spotted half a dozen men squatting on the ground in front of the Sindhi dharamshala on Mirza Ismail Road, engaged in a game of Chauka Bara. They had scribbled the game pattern on the dusty ground with a piece of chalk; twigs and different sized pebbles became pawns while split tamarind seeds acted as dice. Raghu seized the moment catching the group on camera.





Further away were two teenage boys engrossed in the same game beside their idle cycle rickshaws.

I learnt that the game was called 'Chang-a-bu' or 'Challas' depending upon the version . The latter began with a successful throw of '4' while the play in former began with '1', the pawns which reached the central square in the 5x5 square game board are referred to as 'laal' or red (in most Indian board games the pawns that are in the race are considered as raw fruits and once they reach the destination 'home', they are said to ripen and turn red). I wanted to enquire more but the language became a barrier, the rajasthani dialect which they spoke was beyond my comprehension.

As we walked towards the Ramnivas Garden to visit the Albert Hall, little did I imagine that many more surprises were in store for us.


There were large murals on the museum's inner walls which were reproductions of famous works of art from across several civilisations; the one from the persian Mahabharata had a subject of our interest.


Reminiscent of mughal miniatures, the heavily clothed and turbaned Pandavas and Kauravas sat on a raised platform within a high ceiling hall supported by pillars; the geometric patterns of Bukhara carpet somewhat downplayed the act of Draupadi being disrobed by Dusshasana. Shocked and ashamed by the sudden turn of events, the central characters look sullen, despondent; Pandavas have their eyes downcast, being aware they are helpless in the situation. A scene from the epic stood frozen in time, on that wall.

Further in the galleries were several game boards, boxes and pawns. The museum brochure states that the core collection on display was purchased in 1880s through invitation from craftspersons across India.

A circular table of chess with 18x18 houses having beautiful inlay perhaps from the doab region of Punjab reminded me of the phulkari embroidery.


A walnut wood box painted with 4 playing cards amidst floral patterns looked like a miniature char-bag; it was undoubtedly from Kashmir.

The octogonal onyx chess table and another 12x12 board mounted on a latticed brass chowki is similar to the work done in present day Pakistan.

A fine specimen of Sadeli style ivory box is probably from Surat.

The magnificent card box overlaid with lattice worked ivory plates held together by metal pins on a rosewood box from the erstwhile vizianagaram state of Andhra Pradesh.


A Pachisi (Pagade) game board with intricate and colourful emroidery is most probably from the Kutch area of Gujarat.

Two miniature paintings in the collection of this museum executed in the registrar style merit mention. The first is a series of the tale of Vaishampayana wherein two seated men in jamas and wearing turbans play a game of Pachisi (Pagade).


Another miniature from the Baarah-masa series titled Kartika Masa, among other things depicts a couple gambling on the dark diwali night.

The recently renovated Albert museum which has been attracting visitors for almost 125 years looks all set to welcome museum enthusiasts and captivate their minds in coming years. The excellently produced audio guide is undoubtedly a tribute to its architect and designer Sir Swinton Jacob.

In Divine Slumber on the River's Edge II

The last post that I wrote last was on my visit to the temple town of Srirangam. Nearer home is another temple town situated on an island formed by Kaveri (Cauvery). Two centuries ago as the ruthless colonisers tightened their stranglehold to loot the riches of the sub-continent, several independent kingdoms succumbed to the wily machinations of the British colonial power, many were subdued by threat of war, and war as well. Some of the royals were pensioned off, but several ruling princes refused to be cowed down by these threats, the Sikhs in the north, the Marathas in the west were among them. Not to be left behind in defending the independent territorry of Mysore were Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan - usurpers of the kingdom of Mysore from the ancient Wodeyar dynasty which ruled from this island fort since 1610 CE.

The British, in the garb of East India Company, were able to wrest this strategic military bastion after four bloody wars spread over almost quarter of a century.

About 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Mysore is the battle scarred town of Srirangapatna. As one approaches this town on the highway enroute to Bangalore, towards the left the placidly flowing waters of the Kaveri near the royal bathing ghat suddenly emerge as the road curves to right. Within seconds, one can see the crumbling walls of the massive fort, at a distance is the gopura (spire) of a temple. Further along the route after another curve, before we cross the bridge, the towering twin minarets of the 18th century A' la Mosque built by Tipu Sultan - all these were silent witnesses to the resistance against the colonial powers.

Today this town is fairly well known on the tourist circuit and the centre of attraction is the Sri Ranganatha temple, a majority of the activities revolve around this ancient temple also known as Gautama Kshetra. On 14th January 2009, myself and Raghu decided to visit this temple for three reasons on that auspicious day.

1. It marks the day of harvest festival Makara Sankranti, across India, when the newly harvested grain is cooked for the first time; a platter of goodies to tickle the palate.

2. The reclining deity, Ranganatha, which is 16 feet long is adorned with fresh butter which is applied as a thin coat over the image, about 80 kilograms of butter is consumed in this excercise. The dark complexioned deity in black chlorite schist is transformed into snowy fair handsome prince - it is a sight to behold.

3. Hundreds upon hundreds of earthen lamps are lit in the pathway to the temple to mark the opening of the Vaikunta Dwara - a gate located in the northern part of the temple kept locked all through the year is thrown open for devotees. This gate is the earthly representation of a similar divine gateway which leads to the abode of Vishnu.

With a sense of satisfaction and feeling positively energised, Raghu got busy with the camera shooting the stucco images above the granite pillars. I searched by a secluded corner to partake the sanctified food offering given to me by the chief priest Sri Vijayasarathy.

The brightly lit flag post area in the inner courtyard seemed a tranquil place, as I prepared to settle down near the pillar in front of the monolith statue of the celestial guardian 'Vijaya', I noticed a well worn Goats & Tigers game pattern.

Before I could share the discovery with Raghu, he had spotted an Aligulimane (Indian Mancala) pits, covered with dust, on the stone paved floor.

As we finished the circumambulation and passed through the Vaikunta Dwara, a giant sized rock cut pot to plant the sacred basil, Tulasi, beckoned us, as we admired the beautiful relief carving on it, at the base was another well preserved 'Goats & Tigers' game pattern.

Munching on the sugar candy offered at the Ranganayaki shrine, we walked past the main gate into the commotion outside where thousands of earthen lamps were brimming with oil, with a lone cotton wicke each, to be lit at the sunset.

We ascended the temple's main tower, Rajagopura, to have a long view of the people assembled. As we peeped out of the tiny window on the fifth floor of the gopura, in front of us was a beautiful vista. The twinkling flickers from miniature lamps was an inspiring sight - looked like a litup runway for the landing of celestial chariots flying down from heavens above.

In Divine Slumber on River's Edge

गंगे च यमुने चैव गोदावरी सरस्वती

नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरी जलेस्मिन सन्निधिम कुरु

Gange cha Yamune chaiva Godavari Saraswati

Narmade Sindhu Kaveri jale asmin sannidhim kuru

This sacred hymn is chanted by millions of devout hindus while invoking the seven mighty and sacred rivers ceremonially in the sacred pot during elaborate rituals associated with traditional worship.

The rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Narmada and Kaveri have been a part of the Hindu ethos for a few millennia now and continue even to this date. It is believed that the river Saraswati changed course and vanished deep down the bowels of earth, archaeologists are still researching to chart the course of this elusive river goddess.

The Sindhu (Indus) now flows fromPakistan into India as a tributary in the Himalayas at Leh in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, the above verse continues to reverberate countless times across the sub-continent till today, even in the changed geo-political circumstances.

Rivers in India have been worshipped as goddesses (except Brahmaputra which is considered a god) since ages, a dip in the waters and a visit to the important shrine on their banks has immense significance to the believer.

Among the seven holy rivers is the Kaveri (also spelt Cauvery) which originates at Talakaveri in the hilly regions of Kodagu (Coorg) amidst the verdant green slopes where the finest coffee, rice, oranges, cardamom, pepper and vanilla is cultivated by Kodavas, a martial race, who have inhabitated this land since time immemorial.

The mountain born river loses height and flows eastwards in the table-land of Karnataka and then into the neighbouring state of Tamilnadu; traversing a distance of 785 kilometers she merges into the salty shores of the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar.

All along the route are magnificent temples dedicated to an array of deities of the Hindu pantheon, however three temples dedicated to Vishnu located on three islands formed by the Kaveri are considered unique.

The posture of the deity in the sanctum sanctorum of these temples is that of Lord Vishnu in his manifestation of Ranganatha; he is seen reclining on the coiled body of serpent Adi Shesha whose seven mighty hoods fan out majestically at the head of the lord. Ranganatha's divine consort Lakshmi (called as Ranganayaki) is seen seated beside, admiring her beloved.

The river-islands of Srirangapatna, Shivanasamudra and Srirangam (respectively called Adi Ranga, Madhya Ranga and Antya Ranga) are where the three temples located. The temple complex at Srirangam near Tiruchirapally (Trichy), Tamilnadu is undoubtedly the grandest of all the three.

The sprawling temple complex which is spread over 150 acres, has gigantic gateways topped with towering pyramidal gopuras, in four cardinal directions.

It was in August 2008 that I along with Dr. Maya, Dr. Dileep and Raghu (Dharmendra) visited this temple. Bustling with activity, the area around the outer gopuras was choked with vehicular traffic, the inner courtyard housed small shops selling religious books, souvenirs and goods associated with ritual worship; we had to jostle for space with a milling crowd of pilgrims and stray bovines. The enormous granite pillared halls and massive doorways swarming with pilgrims gave us an idea that this was a very busy place of worship with devotees in attendance at all times.

We hurried past the sixth enclosure (there are seven in total) in a brisk pace to enter the inner courtyard, the neat granite floor looked like it had been reworked and relaid. As we inched forward amidst the multitude of worshippers and reached the inner perimeter which housed the central deity, the coarse floor gave way to smooth mirror polished granite, the air conditioner which was whirring away was creating commotion and devotees, many of them, were chanting prayers in silent murmur. In anticipation of the magic moment to have a close view of the lord we were virtually pushed into place at the door of the sanctum.

Lo and behold, in the unsteady flicker of half a dozen oil soaked lamps the heavily bejewelled lord, adorned with fresh flowers and basil, lay in deep slumber oblivious to the commotion all around.

An equally hurried exit from the main shrine towards sub shrines gave us an idea of the grandeur of the religious complex. In a reduced pace while admiring the granite images it was evident from the faint fading colours on the mortar of the ceilings and walls that lavishly painted murals must have adorned it once upon a time. We were now entering the less frequented areas which looked like they have been untouched by restoration, thus retained their antiquity.

As we entered the pavilion in front of the devi shrine, within minutes we were able to locate a dozen game patterns. Several games etched in corners lay under a thick layer of dust and many others were in various stages of disappearing due to being rubbed by hundreds of feet day in and day out. It was here that for the first time we saw the 'P' shaped single track game.

The pavilion in front of Sri Rama shrine had a lone Adu Huli Ata (Goats and Tigers).

The Vedanta Deshikar shrine had a perfectly preserved Nine Men's Morris on the elevated platform.

A pavilion bereft of carvings amidst a sandy patch perhaps used for minor religious events was the haunt of men seeking alms; it had an incised pattern of Adu Huli Ata.

As we moved towards the ornate Sheshagirirayar mantapa, a group of kanjeevaram clad women were practicing a bhajan, the setting sun and the unlit thousand pillared pavilion acted as a dampner for our game hunting.
As we decided to call it a day, Dr. Maya spotted a perfectly preserved Adu Huli Ata beside a pier which had rearing horsemen trampling tigers and elephants.

The millennia old structure refused to share any more of its secrets. We wanted to probe more but were left with only few precious minutes; we dashed out to our waiting taxi. Zipping through the crowded evening roads of Trichy Fort area, we were in time at the railway station to catch the train back to Mysore.

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