The importance attached to games and pass-times in India can be judged from the prayer made by Rsis in the Yajurveda 'krida ca me'. The objective of this being that the spare time made available should be put to constructive use. There came into being many outdoor and indoor activities which were sources of entertainment. Playing cards or patrakrida was one amongst the indoor games.
Ganjifa was a commonly known name in India, Nepal and Arab countries. The techniques, processing, designing of Ganjifa cards varied from user to user. Artists involved in making Cards for the rich and wealthy had to use expensive materials. They used to craft on lac wafers, tortoise shells, ivory, engraved brass discs, mother of pearl and were decorated with precious stones and metals.
This book is an attempt to create an awareness on this dying art of Ganjifa and as a result resuscitate this Traditional Indian Game.
Dr. B. Ramadevi, an alumina of The Presidency College, Chennai, procured her M.Phil and Ph.D in Sanskrit from the University of Madras through the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, Chennai.
Her Ph.D thesis was on "Ganjifa Card play in Sanskrit Literature" which was greatly appreciated by the examiners. She has participated in many National conferences and has produced articles besides preparing textbooks for Undergraduate Sanskrit course.
At present she is working as Assitant Professor of Sanskrit at the Ethiraj College for Women, Chennai.
The importance attached to games and pass-times in India can be judged from the prayer made by Rsis in the Yajurveda-'krida ca me'. The objective of this being that the spare time made available should be put to constructive use. There came into being many outdoor and indoor activities which were sources of entertainment. Playing cards or patrakrida was one amongst the indoor games.
While glancing through texts like Krida Kauonlya and Sri Tattvanidhi, we come to know that the "art of playing cards" was systematised and codified. There is no doubt that the card-play of Ganjifa as it was called in Moghul times nurtured finest talents in the field of miniature painting as well. All this has gone into oblivion in the modern times.
I express my deep gratitude to my guide and supervisor, Dr. V. Kameswari, Director, The Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute, Chennai for suggesting the topic of research her guidance and ready help at every step in the preparation of this dissertation.
I am deeply indebted to Prof. C.S.Sundaram, former Reader, Dept. of Sanskrit, University of Madras for generously allowing me to make use of his article on the subject and other relevant information.
Prof. T. K. Chayapati Sarma is to be thanked for his guidance in understanding the Arabic and Persian terms in the text.
I am thankful to Dr.K.S.Balasubramanian and Dr.T.V.Vasudeva, Deputy Directors of the K.S.R.Institute for their help and advice in the development of dissertation.
I am thankful to Ms. B. Anuradha for typing the dissertation in neat format.
I am also thankful to the K.S.R.I. Library and the Adyar Library for having provided me with various books and sources of information for conducting the research.
I am deeply beholden to the authorities of the Karnataka Historical Research Society for selecting my dissertation for publication as a part of the Centenary Celebrations of their Society.
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