Ganjifa Cards: Ancient India's Favorite Game

Few days back, I got the chance to visit an exhibition in Pragati Maidain in Delhi. It was an all states art and craft fair where people from different states were exhibiting their art forms. While roaming, I saw some beautiful miniature paintings in the Orissa stall. When I enquired about the painting he told “Madam, these are Ganjifa playing cards”. He explained me that Ganjifa is actually a very old art form of paintings and playing cards. Further told me how some of the families in Orissa and Maharashtra are trying to revive this dying ancient Indian game.




Ganjifa Cards



Painting in Ganjifa Card

History:
Ganjifa’ is the name given to an ancient Indian card game which originated in Persia (modern Iran) and became popular in India under the Mogul emperors in the 16th century. The first known reference is in the diary of Emperor Babur in 1527. The game used to be the favorite pastimes of ancient India, it first became popular at court, in the form of lavish sets of precious stone – inlaid ivory or tortoise shell.  It later spread to the general public, whereupon cheaper sets would be made from materials such as wood, palm leaf, or pasteboard.



Technique to Prepare Cards:
The techniques, processing, designing of ganjifa cards varied from user to user. Artists involved in making Cards for the rich and wealthy used expensive materials. They used to craft on lac wafers, tortoise shells, ivory, engraved brass discs, mother of pearl and decorated with precious stones and metals.

Artists Preparing Ganjifa Cards

Detailed Work on Ganjifa Cards

Common people made the cards using leather, paper, stylographed palm leaves, fish scales and paper machete. Colors were made by hand and they were rich in natural minerals and vegetable dyes. The artists grinded and mixed these natural colors by hand themselves. They used fine brushes including the squirrel hair brushes suitable to the Ganjifa painting technique to paint the cards.

Perception Behind the games:
In Maharashtra and Orissa, Ganjifa was a favorite pastime for Brahmins. Old people are still seen playing Dashavatara Ganjifa near Puri Temples, mainly with 16-suited 192 card decks. The main purpose of the game was to teach, learn and tell stories from our ancient scriptures and holy books. Style was set to stories and shlokas from the Hindu Puranas, stories from the Ramayana, the chapters from Mahabharata and many more scriptures. One of the greatest benefits was that besides a memory test, the game provided a good retention of traditional knowledge.

How to Play with Ganjifa Cards:
Ganjifa cards were circular and traditionally hand-made by local artisans. The standard playing cards of India are usually a set each of 96 cards of Mughal Ganjifa and of 120 or 144 cards of Dashavatara Ganjifa.  The structure and the rules of both the games are the same except that in Dashavatara, the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are depicted.


Mughal Ganjifa:. The present game of Mughal Ganjifa was introduced by Akbar. The Mughal ganjifa carried eight suited ganjifa pack and had 96 beautiful cards in eight suits of 12 cards each. The twelve cards in each suit comprised of two court or figure cards and 10 numeral or pip cards.

Mughal Ganjifa Cards

Dashavatara Ganjifa :The Hindu Dashavatara (10 incarnations) were different in their composition and construction. In the first order the number of suits and cards were more which made the game complicated . The figures and the suit signs were common to the Hindu players. Each pack of ganjifa carried 10 suits, which displayed one of the incarnations of Vishnu.

Dashavatara Ganjifa Cards

For example in the Mughal Ganjifa set Taj, Safed, Samsher and Ghulam are strong suits while Chang, Surkh, Barat and Qimash are weak suits.  The sequence of each suit is arranged as Raja, Pradhan and serial number ace to ten for strong suits and ten to ace for weak suits.  Each time the trick is to win the round by placing the highest denomination.  Therefore it is beneficial for a player to remember all the symbols and cards played.  By the end of the game, which is played in anti-clock-wise direction, the player who amasses the maximum number of cards is the winner.  Similarly the game can be played with the Dashavatar set, Ashtadikpala, Ramayana and Navagraha. 



Ganjifa Cards

Unlike Chess or Parchisi (Dice), Ganjifa is now close to extinction. Few people know how to play the game and fewer are the artists who make them Orissa is one of the last remaining pockets of this diminishing community.



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Mattur: A Village Where People Converse in Sanskrit

Mattur, a culturally rich village on the banks of the river Tunga in Karnataka, is now famous across India as the 'Sanskrit village'. Here, even the vegetable vendor speaks in Sanskrit. Villagers use Sanskrit here for their day to day conversation and not just during poojas. Yes, Sanskrit is the language of the commoner in this village.

Mattur Village

It was unbelievable for me. In school, I merely use to get pass marks in Sanskrit and in India there is a village where people speak Sanskrit as a native. I still can’t believe till I saw Bajaj advertisment in TV. This is a traditional village with a difference.

Like me, many of majority of Indians may think that Sanskrit, also known as Devabhasha (language of the Gods), is a dying language, but it thrives in a few pockets.
Sanskrit is the language of Gods need not apply to Mattur. Enter Mattur, and your senses are assailed by a host of sights that is eccentric in its fusion of the picturesque and the quixotic. Soft and dulcet, a conversation sounds like a Vedic recital. Though it is a journey, which began about 500 years ago, Sanskrit has been modified as per the modern needs here by Samskrit Bharati. As one enters the village he is greeted with ” bhavatha nam kim? (What is your name?), “coffee va chaayam kim ichchhathi bhavan? (What will you have, coffee or tea?). The pronunciation of “Hari Om” instead of ‘hello’ and “katham asti” instead of ‘how are you?’ are common here.

Signboard in Sanskrit

Everybody-men, women, children, literate or illiterate-freely speaks Sanskrit. Even the Muslim families speak Sanskrit without hesitation and as comfortably as is spoken by the Hindus. Their children are found in the streets reciting Sanskrit shlokas. Even while fighting and playing cricket in the grounds children freely speak Sanskrit. When one walks down a few places from the school where one touches the ratha veethi (car street) and graffiti on the walls what grabs the attention is: “Maarge swachchataya virajate, grame sujanaha virajante” (Cleanliness is as important for a road as good people are for the village). Other slogans like ‘keep the temple premises clean’, ‘keep the river clean’ and ‘trees are the nation’s wealth’ are also written in Sanskrit and painted on walls reflecting ancient values. There are families who have written on their doors-‘You can speak in Sanskrit in this house.’ This is basically to tell the visitors that in case they are fluent in the language they can talk to them in Sanskrit.

Sholkas Written in Sanskrit on Walls

Yet another surprise is that many domestic articles at home are all identified with Sanskrit names – something very common in all homes in Mattur. So is the case with grocery stores, where all bottles and bags bear Sanskrit labels.

History:

The village preserved its legacy, handed down by Vedic scholars, who were the original settlers at Palghat in Kerala. They decided to move north and found the banks of the river Cauvery and Tunga most suitable to continue their rituals and traditions. A few settled down in Hassan district, while some reached Mattur and Hosahalli. History has it that the Vijayanagar emperor gifted Mathoor and neighbouring Hosahalli, known as centres of learning for Sanskrit and Vedic studies from time immemorial, to the "people" in 1512. The gift deed inscriptions on copper plates have been preserved by the archaeology department. The journey back to its Vedic roots started for the village in 1981 when Sanskrita Bharati, an organisation that promotes the classical language, conducted a Sanskrit workshop in Mattur. It was attended,among others, by the pontiff of the Pejawar Mutt in nearby Udupi. Inspired by this village where Sanskrit survived as a spoken language, the seer reportedly exclaimed, “A place where individuals speak  Sanskrit, where whole houses talk in Sanskrit! What next? A Sanskrit Village.

Mattur Village Mentioned in Newspaper

Study of Sanskrit in Mattur begins at the Montessori level, where children are taught rhymes and stories in the language. Sanskrit is a compulsory subject in both primary and high schools of the village. A Sanskrit school has been set up to teach the language to a large number of outsiders who flock to the village to learn.
Apparently, it has given birth to more than 50 software engineers, most of who had come back from the 6 hour journey to their new homes in India's silicone city, Bangalore (Bengaluru). Mathoor has produced over 30 Sanskrit professors who are teaching in Kuvempu, Bangalore, Mysore and Mangalore Universities, besides many software engineers. Among the illustrious personalities from the village are Mathoor Krishnamurthy of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore, violinist Venkataram, and gamaka exponent H.R. Keshavamurthy.

Isn't it amazing Mattur is in Karnaataka and people speak sanskrit instead of  karnataka's local language Kannada. That's the reason we call our country as " Incredible India".

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Parsi Embroidery: A Fading Art

Parsi embroidery is yet another example of how a century-old art can be so relevant, without putting up with those bleeding colors. Parsi embroidery is a unique part of India’s diverse textile heritage. This unique artistic tradition has its roots in Iran during the Bronze Age but with time it has drew influences from European, Chinese, Persian and Indian culture.

Parsi Embroidery

A very famous example of Parsi embroidery is the Parsi embroidery sarees also called as Grara embroidery sarees. Parsi embroidery sarees have been renowned since last bygone centuries for its striking beauty and also demonstrates a cultural Parsi tradition of embroidery and ethos. These saris come in many colors, are offset by delicate embroidery in pastel shades and pale white, and are testimony to the superior craftsmanship of the Parsi embroiders. Realistically pictorial, lyrically composed, aesthetically colorful and delicately embellished Parsi Gara embroidery is an emblem of style and elegance.

Parsi Gara Saree

Classisc Parsi Embroidery in Saree

These sarees are indeed worth a treasure and take almost 9 months for completion as the embroidery work is crafted on all the four sides of the saree making it one of the most tedious and intricate task. The khaka stitch is so fine that women who do the needlework start suffering from failing eyesight, which has given it the name of the forbidden stitch. Mostly the threads used for embroidery are violet and pink combination. Parsi  sarees are comparatively more costlier but their appeal and style are so immensely enchanting that it overcomes all the hurdle of price tag for a avid buyer.

Parsi Saree in White Color

The rich gara embroidery, originally considered a Parsi family’s heirloom, has become rare, collector’s items because of the intricate work and beauty. Since it’s not a machine embroidery one of the most prized possessions of Parsi families (read women) is their Gara saree or sarees! Not only are they possessions of pride and boy, these beautifully embroidered sarees are often worth more the rest of the entire family wardrobe put together!

A Prized Possesion for Parsi Family

Parsi embroidery incorporates motifs that have deep meanings. The reverence of the Parsees towards nature is evident in their embroidery work.  The fleeing Parsis brought Persian symbols like the cypress tree, chakla chakli or contradictory birds, represented with delicacy. A tree called the divine fungus is used as a symbol of longevity and immortality. Lotus and peacock brings the fragrance of the Indian soil in which Parsi culture blossomed. Raj flavour incorporated floral baskets, the Chinese pheria stitched in vignettes of Chinese court life, beautiful gardens and flowers such as peony, rose, and chrysanthemum. Some or all these motifs fill up a typical gara or jhablawith an overriding feel of harmony, richness, grandeur and delicacy.

Parsi Embroidery Work

Parsi Gara Embroidery

 History:
Although Parsi embroidery traces its origins to Bronze Age Persia, the garaitself is not more than 150 years old. Its concepts and symbolism, which lay in the Zoroastrian psyche coupled with an innate sense of aesthetics, were translated into embroidery on sari and apparel by Chinese master embroiderers. In the 19th and early 20th centuries there was brisk trade between Parsis of Western India and China.  Back then, Chinese pherias, or craftsmen, travelled with big chests of embroidery across the seas to Persian lands and sold them to Parsi women. Some of the Parsi women were also taught the craft by these pherias, and the women later skilfully interwove the new style with their own.

Salwar Suit with Parsi Embroidery

However, this unique and magnificent art is facing dangers of fading into oblivion. With mass produced clothes readily available nowadays, the interest in traditional hand embroidered clothing has steadily dwindled over the decades and is a constant threat to the livelihood of many craftsmen. Moreover, the decline in the Parsi community is another cause of worry.

Parsi Desgin in Cushions

Organization like  Parzor Foundation has been working, since 1999, with the support of UNESCO and the Government of India to revive the craft. Some breathtaking garas have been reproduced under its aegis. An attempt has also been made to contemporize gara embroidery by creating products like cushion covers, bags and scarves while being sensitive to the original embroidery form.

Kodinhi: Mysterious Village of Twins People

Hardly anyone would have heard the name of village called Kodinhi but this small village is famous world over for a most remarkable feat.  It’s not anything the residents have done intentionally; in fact they claim to be just as bemused as anyone else. So, what brings the world’s attention to this sleepy, lush green village which is 25 kilometers off Malappuram?

 

350 Pairs of Twins in Kodinhi

TWINS:  There are an unusually high number of twins born here. Kodhini, a town in Kerala, India, with a population of only 2000 villagers has around 350 twins. In the year 2008 alone, 15 pairs were born. This is a strange phenomenon in this town and a story goes that this trend started some 60-70 years ago. Globally, twins comprise just 6 of every 1,000 live births, while in Kodinhi they comprise 42 of 1,000 live births. This is a 700% increase.  India has one of the lowest twinning rates in the world, but Kodinhi is close to the top of the global twinning league.
What this means, is that you’re certain to see twins in almost every family in the village. All you have to do is walk around and they are everywhere: young, old and middle-aged, identical and non-identical twins: at schools, the marketplace, shops and offices.

Twins Girls

One more Pair of Twins

Many funny stories are doing rounds in the schools about the teachers finding it difficult to identify the twins. The local people too face similar piquant situation. The identity crisis is not confined to schools alone. There are also jokes that the newly-wed couples of Kodinhi often mistake their partners for the other twins of the pairs in the beginning of their conjugal life!

The mammoth birth rate of twins in the village still remains as a mystery coupled with curiosity for everyone.
                        
                           Nobody knows why or how this phenomenon originated!!!

Baffled doctors are trying to unravel the mystery of Kodinhi who is boasting more than 220 sets of twins born to just 2,000 families. Experts who have visited the remote tropical village of Kodinhi, in Kerala, have been left scratching their heads over the phenomenon that has seen almost six times as many twins born than the global average. Local doctor and twin enthusiast Dr Krishnan Sribiju has been studying the medical marvel of Kodinhi for the past two years. Although 220 sets of twins have been officially registered in the village Dr Sribiju believes the real number to be far higher.

Twins Pairs

The genetic, biological,molecular, heriditery and climatic factors of the puzzling phenomina are the subject matter of the research on the multiple births at Kodinhi . Its interesting to note that the women married off from Kodinhi and also married to the youth in Kodinhi too have been giving birth to twins.
Investigate the twin phenomenon, drilling into the legacy of the community to search for the origin of twinning patterns and genetic predispositions that might offer a scientific breakthrough. While the strange and wonderful phenomina of extra-ordinary concentration of twin births in this village continues, an in-depth study on the various factors to find out its causes has become highly essential.

Even as the researchers go back from Kodinhi with more questions than answers, 58-year-old T.K. Abdul Razak, a Gulf-returnee, says he knows what the secret is. He believes that children are God’s gift. “I don’t subscribe to such studies”, he says.

Sand Sculpture: Uniquness of Orissa's Sand Art

I have spent most of my childhood in capital city of Orissa i.e. Bhubaneswar. Whenever Dad use to get time, we use to visit Puri which was 60Km from Bhubaneswar. Puri is famous Lord Jagannath temple and being a kid after visiting temple me and my brother’s aim use to be go to beach where we can play with sea water and construct our own little castle. Once when we went to Puri beach, I saw a person doing a similar stuff (making something with sand) like us. I and my brother got curious and started looking at this person. By 20 minutes, I can see a beautiful mermaid made of sand in front of our eyes. I was speechless with his creativity. That was my first encounter with sand art of Orissa.

Sand art in Orissa is one of the famous art forms of the state. Sand Art is a distinctive type of art form of Puri in Orissa, which is usually depicted at the seashore. This form of art, is unique to the state. It is actually a type of sculpture, which is practiced on sand. It can be compared with stone sculpture. pture. To carve a sand sculpture, the raw material is the only clean and fine grained sand mixed with water . With the help of this type of sand and with the blessings of God and by the magic of fingers , an artist can carve a beautiful and attractive sculpture on the beach.

Knut bear

Buddha Sculpture

Sculpture on Terrorism



AIDS Awareness



No War Campagin

History:
The lineage of this art dates back to a long time back. One can find the mention of this art in the life story of Balaram Das, one of the most well known poets of Orissa. This poet was a prominent literary figure of the 14th century AD. The sand art was, therefore, one of the prevalent art forms of 14th century Orissa. There is an interesting mythical story associated with sand art in Orissa. According to popular belief, Balaram das wanted to climb Lord Jagannath's chariot to pay homage to him, but he was not allowed to do so. He went to the sea beach and started carved the images of Lord Jagannath, Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra out of sand. He then prayed to this image of Lord Jagannath. It is said that his dedication was so strong that the statues of the deities were later seen on the beach where Balaram Das offered his prayers and not on the chariot.

Global Warming Campaign

Lord Ganesha Sculpture

One of the famous artists of Orissa who is involved in this art form is Sudarsan Pattnaik. His works are mostly based on current world issues, ranging from climate change to world peace.

Lokpal Bill Issue

Help for Tsunami Victims



Appealing for the release of two Italian tourists, on a beach in Puri, Orissa



Famous Rajnikant

Time has changed, people have become more aware and respect this form of art. Whenever I visit Puri beach, I am always curious to know which sculpture will be depicted in seashore today. It’s always a treat for eyes to see such beautiful sand Sculpture.

Kalaripayattu- An Eternal Indian Martial Arts

Kalaripayattu literally means “training ground-exercise” and the term “Kalari” can be used both to describe the practice, as well as the room in which it is practiced. Kalarippayattu is the only form of the most ancient traditional systems of physical, culture, self-defence and martial techniques still in existence. Among the many exciting experiences that Kerala has to offer, none is more unique than kalaripayattu.  Kalari payat includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods.  It combines the dynamic skills of attack / defence and the power of the secret knowledge of the body, with a scientific system of healing and therapy based on allied disciplines like Ayurveda.

Kalaripayattu prefomed by two people

Kalaripayattu is possibly the most historic martial art in the globe. The practice of Kalaripayattu is said to originate from the Dhanur Vedic texts encompassing all fighting arts and described by the Vishnu Purana as one of the eighteen traditional branches of knowledge. The origin of Kalaripayattu is nonetheless in the midst of obscurity. Classic Kalari masters attribute mythological stories and legends to the origin of the art.  Historically, the art can be traced to the Middle Ages, or ca. the 11th to 12th century, more specifically to the account by historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai who attribtues the birth of kalari payat to an extended period of warfare between the Tamil Kingdoms Cheras and the Cholas in the 11th century AD. Kalaris are the schools where training in this martial art form is imparted by Gurukals or masters

Group of people practicing Kalaripayattu

Kalaris were primarily of two types, the first being smaller known as ‘CheruKalari’ (cheru means small) or KuzhiKalari (kuzhi means the portions formed by caving in the earth) and the second one known as ‘AnkaKalari’ (Ankam means fight). It is called KuzhiKalari because the floor of the Kalari is built at a level lower than the surrounding land by removing soil to achieve the necessary depth. CheruKalari or KuzhiKalari was built for the purpose of impailing physical and weapon training. It was in this Kalari that systematic training in scientific exercises in Kalarippayattu was imparted. Remnants of such ancient ‘Kalaris’ are seen at some places in Kerala even now and the similarity in size and shape they bear to each other is ample proof for the existence of this type of Kalaris throughout the region from very ancient days

 Kalaripayattu has clearly affected the evolution of a number of of Kerala’s theatre and dance kinds, most prominently Kathakali and Theyyam. Kathakali practitioners are required to prepare below Kalari masters to create several attributes this sort of as fitness, stamina, and martial movements enacted in their performances. Kalari practitioners claim that Bodhi Dharma, a Buddhist monk who was accountable for training the Shaolin monks in kung-fu, was in fact a Kalari master.

In many places in Kerala, especially North Kerala, kalaripayattu is going through a vigorous revival. Now learned for its traditional values and fitness quotient, and more as a performing art than a fighting technique, the art form is gaining popularity all over Kerala. It is a stimulating, thrilling and aesthetic experience for the senses- a heady mix of supple movements and brisk action- guaranteed to leave the viewer enthralled. In a Phoenix-like resurrection, Kalaripayattu is today emerging in a new avatar – an ancient art form – a source of inspiration for self-expression in dance forms – both traditional and contemporary, in theatre, in fitness and in movies too.

Konark Dance Festival: Classical Dance & Music Extravaganza

The sun temple in Konark is famed as a world heritage site. The exquisite 'Natyamandir' or the 'dancing hall' of this 700-year old shrine is an architectural wonder with well-adorned sculptures in Odissi dance poses. The Natyamadir or the dancing hall of the temple is extremely famous for its wonderful interior. Constructed a way back in the 13th century on the beach of Chandrabagha, this temple and its dancing hall today stand as the evidence of Indian culture’s age old amalgamation of dance and devotion.

 The Konark Dance Festival is organized annually in the month of December at the open air auditorium in the temple premises with the temple as the back drop. Many celebrated dancers from all over the country perform at this pious venue. Since 1989, this festival has been organized in the state jointly by Orissa Tourism and Odissi Research Centre to promote the diverse Indian dance heritage as well as the popularity of Konark Temple and Orissa as a tourist destination.


Konark Dance Festival




Celebration of different dance forms at one place

 Konark Dance Festival is held in December in the beautiful backdrop of the Sun temples in Konark, Orissa. The enthralling Konark Dance Festival is held every year, from 1 to 5 December. The festival has made the famous tourist destination that the Konark is even more attractive in the eyes of the tourists.



Konark Dance Festival at the backdrop of famous Konark sun temple

 


Odissi Dance Form




Bharatanatyam Form



The Konark Dance Festival is organized annually in the month of December at the open air auditorium in the temple premises with the temple as the back drop. Many celebrated dancers from all over the country perform at this pious venue. Since 1989, this festival has been organized in the state jointly by Orissa Tourism and Odissi Research Centre to promote the diverse Indian dance heritage as well as the popularity of Konark Temple and Orissa as a tourist destination.



Craft Mela at Konarak Dance Festival



With the setting of the sun, the open air auditorium put on life in the variety of musical beats and rhythmic actions under the star lit sky. In the midst of the poem in stone at the background, the festival proves to be a proper cultural feast. A carnival of Odissi, Bharathnatyam, Manipuri, Kathak and Chau Dances.The festival truthfully comes as a sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears. The sound of bells of Ghungroo, flute and Pakhauj append to the festive atmosphere. There is also a crafts mela, with a variety of handicrafts and tasty cuisine during the festival. The festival is jointly organised by Orissa Tourism and Odissi Research Centre. This mela affix more excitement to the festival thus making it an ideal venue for a family gathering on a holiday in India or a blissful experience to the tourists. The festival is a prospective platform for the performing artiste and the dance connoisseur both. It in addition comes as a right occasion for the potential artists of India who are yet to make their occurrence felt on the international level.

Konark Dance Festival takes place in an open-air auditorium against the backdrop of the floodlit temples that reverberates with the beats of 'Raga' and 'Tala' to fill the air with the sounds of classical music. The classical extravaganza is a journey through eternal ecstasy. Thus, Konark Festival gives one to have an experience of life time to witness a cocktail of art, craft, music, dance and food, all at the same place.