An illustration depicting the game of Snakes and Ladders, North-west or Western India, early 19th century
Gouache heightened with gold and silver on paper, laid down on cloth, further laid down on later board, with inscriptions in black devanagari script accompanied by English translations in black ink below, framed.
The game of Snakes and Ladders originated in medieval India where it was known as moksha patam, part of a family of games played using dice including chaupar and pachisi. The game is seen as a representation of man’s upward course in religious life. A person can attain salvation (moksha) through performing good deeds or be reborn as lower forms of life due to bad deeds. The ladders in the game symbolise virtues and the snakes are vices. The chart in the present illustration comprises 128 squares, each labelled and numbered in Sankrit with a translation in English below. The game begins at the bottom left corner and finishes at square 124 which is occupied here by a seated figure of the Hindu deity Vishnu. The players ascend the squares through states associated with hell, to moral and spiritual states, finally arriving at the squares associated with salvation and enlightenment. The ladders connect the ‘good’ squares and accelerate the players’ ascent while the snakes connect the ‘bad’ ones reversing their progress.
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