Unveiling Ganjifa: A Journey into Intricate Card Art

Hello there! I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. Unfortunately, my computer wasn't working, which made it impossible for me to create any blogs. Have you ever encountered similar issues while working on assignments or reports? Or if you're a gamer, you must know how frustrating it can be! Even if you are not a gamer, do you keep interest on watching them? Not necessarily Video games. It can be cricket, or playing cards as well? Talking about playing cards, nowadays youngsters are interested in playing UNO. But do you know, that earlier people used to play with completely different type of cards, which are now a heritage of India. Want to know more about it? Keep scrolling!

The pattern of Ganjifa originated in Persia, perhaps as a result of the influence of Eastern playing cards. In the first half of the fifteenth century, a historian named Ibn Taghribirdi stated that a Mamluk ruler dealt with Kanjifa (a medieval Arabic term for Ganjifa) as a young man. The word Ganjifa has an unknown origin. In Persian, the word "Ganj'' means "treasure, treasury, or hoard." 

By holding the hands of the Mughals, it arrived in India. The Mughal dynasty's founder, Emperor Babur, who ruled from 1526 to 1530, first makes reference to the game in his memoir, Babarnama. Also in the Humayun-nama, a book written by Gulbadan Begum in the sixteenth century has a description of how to play an early form of Ganjifa. Since the game's debut, there have been several iterations of Ganjifa, each with its own artwork, deck, and traditional setting. An ancient Indian card game called Kreeda Patra has had a significant effect on Ganjifa decks that feature Hindu themes.

The cards of Mughal Ganjifa (also referred to as Safvid Ganjifa) include characters and items that are intimately related to the imperial courts of the period, similar to games like chess. In a pack, there are 96 cards, which are split up into eight suits of 12 cards each. The deck is split into two equal halves, or Bhedas, each of which contains four suits. Each suit includes two court cards, termed as the Shah (king) and Wazir (minister), as well as numeral cards that count from one to ten. A suit's strongest cards are its court cards. The number card ten is the Bishbar Bheda's strongest, whereas the number card one is its weakest. The order of the Kambar Bheda is inverted, with number one representing the strongest. According to the set of suits reported by poet Ahli Shirazi in the early sixteenth century, the titles of the suits are Gulam (servant), Taj (crown), Shamsher (sabre, or curved sword) and Tanka (silver coin) in the Bishbar Bheda, and Barat (cheque or draft), Qimash (material wealth, usually in the form of textiles), Ashrafi (red or gold coin) and Chang (a small harp) in the Kambar Bheda.

Mughal's Ganjifa Cards

The Mughal game got numerous changes with varied designs over the years, mentioning: a twelve-suited version invented by Akbar; Ganjapa, which remains a popular game in Odisha and closely resembles Mughal Ganjifa; the ten-suited Dashavatara Ganjifa, based on the ten incarnation of Vishnu; Mysore Chad Ganjifa; Naqsh Ganjifa; Sawantwadi Ganjifa from Maharashtra; and Ramayana Ganjapa from Odisha. Today, the game is hardly ever played, however painters, or "Chitrakars," periodically create novelty packets meant to be displayed. These are commonly seen in Mysore, Maharashtra, and Odisha (Places of India).

Playing cards from Puri, Odisha, India,
made with the traditional pattachitra technique

Ramayana Ganjappa

Brahmin priests in different regions of India created and performed Dashavatara Ganjifa, a variation of Ganjifa that dates back to the seventeenth or eighteenth century. Sanskrit is where the names for the Dashavatara game originated. As implied by the name, a typical deck included ten suits, each of which represented a distinct form of Vishnu. It's probable that the inclusion of Hindu mythological images, mostly from the Puranas, assisted in making this game prominent among Hindu populations.

Dasavatara Ganjifa

The entire concept is the same as the Mughal version, despite differences in the quantity, titles, and aesthetics of its suits. In the south, Samasthan Rajas—landed Hindu upper caste people who were given some sovereignty over their holdings under Muslim rule—have developed the game Dashavatara Ganjifa. Brahmins in Maharashtra enjoyed playing it as a sort of entertainment, while priests regularly played it in temples in Odisha, notably in Puri.

Each card in a suit is identified by a suit symbol, or chinha, and are referred to as varna, rang, or jati. Similar to the Mughal's Ganjifa, the ace or one was the most powerful card in this game's first five suits, known as Ekka Bandibaji. Ten was the strongest for the remaining five, known as Daheli Bandibaji. Each suit's minister and king cards were referred to as Raja and Pradhan, respectively. While the minister and kings in a deck of Dashavatara Ganjifa were often shown as incarnations of Vishnu, riding horses and sitting on thrones, respectively. They may change based on the area and condition of the players.

According to the associated tale, the king appears fighting in the Sawantwadi variant, although in the Dashavatara Ganjifa of Puri, he was often depicted riding on a chariot. Similar to the Mughal playing cards, the minister is depicted in the Rajasthani variant sitting on a chandeli, or a miniature throne.

The Ganjifa developed at Bishnupur, West Bengal's Bankura district (in India), are known as Dasavatar Taas. These are quite similar to Odisha’s Ganjappa cards. The ten Dashavatars of Lord Vishnu are represented by painted pictures and symbols on the cards. In addition to this, these cards may also have illustrations of the Ten Rupas, or forms, of the Mother Goddess, Sati, or Dasa Mahavidya. The pictures may alter, because these cards are now often generated in response to particular requests. 

Dasavatara Taas of Bishnupur

This game had gained notoriety while being supported by the Malla family of Bishnupur. The designs of the cards are said to have remained virtually unchanged throughout the past thousand years. Packs of eight or twelve Dashavatara taas are produced. A once-popular game has become ancient and is now more highly prized as an antique.

In Bishnupur, unlike the other States, five players participate in the Dashavatara taas, which often has 120 cards instead of the 96 of the Mughal set. The names of the suits of this Dasavatara Ganjifa are Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Baraha (boar), Nrisingha (a combination of man and lion), Baman (Brahmin dwarf), Parasuram (the sixth incarnation with axe), Sri Ram (the hero of Ramayana), Balaram (brother of lord Sri Krishna), Lord Buddha (the ninth incarnation with absolute peace) and Kalki ( its yet to come). 

The Narasimha avatar holding Hiranyakshipu in his lap to kill him, and the Vamana avatar covering the cosmos in three steps.

Suits are distinguishable by a variety of symbols that the Ganjifa chitrakars (painted as 'patachitra' (scroll painting)) are skilled at painting. The suit of Matsya is represented by a fish, Kurma by a turtle appearance, Baraha by a shell, Nrisingha by chakra (decorated discs), Baman by a water vessel, Parasuram by an axe, Sri Ram by an arrow or bow and arrow or a monkey, Balaram by a plough or club or a cow, Buddha by a lotus, and Kalki by a sword, horse, or parasol.

The Mughal ganjifa's eight suits are merely increased to 10 suits in Dasavatara ganjifa in order to make the game more intricate and intriguing. Otherwise, the guidelines of the games are nearly identical. According to Mughal tradition, the game is often initiated during the day by the Raja (King) of "Surkh." However, with the Raja of the "Safed '' suit will start the game at night. Similar to this, the lead card in the Dasavatara ganjifa is the King of the Ram suit during the day and the King of the Balaram suit at night. The game begins at the Dashavatara Taas of Bishnupur system with the king of "Ram '' during the day, Nrisingha during the evening, Kurma during the daytime rain, and Matsya during the nighttime rain. All of these characteristics demonstrate how important and entertaining the Dashavatara Taas game was when it was played ardently by the imperial courtiers.

Old textile scraps are used to make the Bishnupur Dashavatara Taas, which are assembled one piece at a time using tamarind adhesive. Following coating with a base color and stretching, drying, and cutting the hardened piece of fabric into circular pieces. The senior artist then uses his brush to add fine details, figure card details, and necessary touch-ups that call for a master's touch. The numerical cards are often drawn by the younger artists. Consequently, the entire family would focus on creating a single set of Dashavatara Taas.

In addition to its Dashavatara pack, Bishnupur is well-known for its styled Naqsh Taas. The 48 cards of the Naqsh Taas set are divided into 4 equal suits with 12 cards each. The majority of the time, these cards are made in two separate decks, one huge and the other a little deck measuring 2 in diameter. These miniatures are made with minute attention to detail and accuracy. Furthermore, the box that houses the cards features similarly intricate and sophisticated design and patterning.

Naqsh. The raja (king card) is recognised by being depicted on an elephant and the pradhan (minister card) on a horse. At the bottom, the card contains a girl or ‘pori’, who denotes the ‘one’.

In addition to being played on Janmastami, the lucky period between Dussehra and Diwali, and during Kali Puja, the gamblers' game Naqsh Taas was also played at these occasions. A single set of cards must be made through a time-consuming procedure that includes nearly the entire family. 

The popularity of Dashavatara Taas games decreased when European printed cards were introduced in the 19th century. These days, visitors and art enthusiasts are the ones for whom the cards are made, not gamers. With only the Fouzdar family of Bishnupur remaining active in producing conventional Dashavatara ganjifa and Naqsh taas, there is an urgent need to safeguard the Dashavatara Taas due to the declining demand and absence of curiosity and knowledge. 

Fouzdar Family

As efforts to preserve and revive this ancient tradition continue, Ganjifa cards are poised to captivate generations to come, ensuring that their legacy endures for centuries to come.