Gyanbazi thumbnail 1
Gyanbazi thumbnail 2
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Play Gallery, the Arcade, Case 1

Gyanbazi

Game
late 19th century or 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

An early version of the familiar snakes- and- ladders board game, the quasi-religious game of gyan (jnana)- choupad or gyanbazi (game of knowledge) was popular with the Rajasthani courts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially with the ladies. Played universally in India, it is available in Hindu, Muslim and Jain versions. As a pastime the game became popular among Jain nuns and was regarded as an edifying religious pursuit. Subsequently it lost its seriousness and became a purely recreational activity.
The present pata is a fine example of a Jain version. The checkered board, representing the progress of ones's life, is divided into eighty-four numbered squares, each with words pointing out the rules of conduct and the good and bad effects thereof. The game is played by throwing dice. The ladders denote good behaviour and virtues that elevate the player to a higher level. The snakes denote downfall: the player descends to the tail after landing on the head.
The four-tiered pavilion at the top represents the heavens. Its summit, occupied by a crescent shaped siddhasaila flanked by peacocks, is where the liberated beings live. A good Jain should strive hard to reach this goal by avoiding misconduct and attaining knowledge. The pavilion is flanked by the sun god astride a seven-headed horse and the moon god riding an antelope.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleGyanbazi (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Opaque watercolour on cloth
Brief description
Game of Snakes and Ladders (Gyanbazi), opaque watercolour on cloth, late 19th century.
Physical description
An early version of the familiar snakes- and- ladders board game, the quasi-religious game of gyan (jnana)- choupad or gyanbazi (game of knowledge) was popular with the Rajasthani courts in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, especially with the ladies. Played universally in India, it is available in Hindu, Muslim and Jain versions. As a pastime the game became popular among Jain nuns and was regarded as an edifying religious pursuit. Subsequently it lost its seriousness and became a purely recreational activity.
The present pata is a fine example of a Jain version. The checkered board, representing the progress of ones's life, is divided into eighty-four numbered squares, each with words pointing out the rules of conduct and the good and bad effects thereof. The game is played by throwing dice. The ladders denote good behaviour and virtues that elevate the player to a higher level. The snakes denote downfall: the player descends to the tail after landing on the head.
The four-tiered pavilion at the top represents the heavens. Its summit, occupied by a crescent shaped siddhasaila flanked by peacocks, is where the liberated beings live. A good Jain should strive hard to reach this goal by avoiding misconduct and attaining knowledge. The pavilion is flanked by the sun god astride a seven-headed horse and the moon god riding an antelope.
Dimensions
  • Height: 58.4cm
  • Width: 52.4cm
Object history
Purchased by the Museum in London in 1972.
Subject depicted
Bibliographic references
  • Pal, Pratapaditya Dr. (Ed.) The Peaceful Liberators: Jain Art from India, New York and London, Los Angeles County Museum of Art and V&A, 1995 Andhare, Shridhar, pp.86-87 and 257
  • Topsfield, A. 'The Indian Game of Snakes and Ladders'. Artibus Asiae 46, 3 (1985) : pp. 203-214, especially pp. 207-208, fig. 6.
  • Topsfield, A. 'Snakes and Ladders in India : Some further discoveries'. Artibus Asiae 66, 1 (2006), pp. 143-179, n. 28.
  • Balbir, N. [et al]. Catalogue of the Jain manuscripts of the British Library : including the holdings of the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum. London : British Library and The Institute of Jainology, 2006. 3 volumes, ISBN 0 7123 4711 9. Vol III, Cat. No. 1195, no. pp. 330-1.
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.324-1972

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Record createdJune 14, 2001
Record URL
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