Dashavatara Ganjifa

'Ganjifa' is the name given to the heritage Indian game of playing cards. Beautiful artwork done on playing cards mostly circular in shape. These cards include stories from Hindu mythology.

This project is based on Dashavatara Ganjifa, some modern designs inspired by traditional Ganjifa produced with digital printing methods to revive and re-create an awareness for dwindling art forms within our country.

DASHAVATARA GANJIFA

This game is played by three to five persons with 120 cards

There are 10 suits of 12 cards each

These suits are the ten avatars of Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu when revealing himself in opposition to evil chose these human and animal appearances.

Ganjifa cards are circular or rectangular and traditionally hand-painted by artisans. The game became popular at the Mughal court, and lavish sets were made, from materials such as precious stone-inlaid ivory or tortoise shell (darbar kalam). The game later spread to the general public, whereupon cheaper sets (bazâr kalam) would be made from materials such as wood, palm leaf, stiffened cloth or pasteboard. Typically, Ganjifa cards have coloured backgrounds, with each suit having a different colour

It was a widespread Brahmin pastime. the notion was that the performance of the game is pleasing to God. This was a Vishnu memoriser game, sins are washed away. It is said in the Bhapwatam that by invoking the name of Vaikuntha by gestures and even by way of joking or abuse, sins are made to wash away. If the name of God is used during the game saying “your Rama did this” or your Brahma did that” or “your Narasimha lost and my Matsya won” then, by this repetion of God’s name sins are remitted.

Source: www.chakranews.com