Ancient Indian Boardgames: Digital Documentation

Title (dcterms:title)

Navagunjara Ganjifa Card, Raghurajpur

Description (dcterms:description)

Navagunjara ganjifa cards from Raghurajpur. Navagunjara is a legendary manifestation​ of Vishnu that has the head of a rooster, and stands on three feet, those of an​ elephant, tiger and deer or horse; the fourth limb is raised human arm ​carrying a lotus or a wheel. The beast has the neck of a peacock, the back or​ hump of a bull and the waist of a lion; the tail is a serpent . Navagunjara features in the Odia Mahabharat of Sarla Das. The Nila Chakra disc on top of the Puri Jagannath Temple has 8 Navagunjaras carved on it, and it’s sculpted on the northern side of the temple.

Alternative Title (dcterms:alternative)

Ganjapa

Rules (dcterms:instructionalMethod)

Exact rules are not known

Creator (dcterms:creator)

Banamali Mahapatra

Source (dcterms:source)

Gautam Sen Boardgames Museum

Date Created (dcterms:created)

January 2025

Rights (dcterms:rights)

Property of Gautam Sen Memorial Boardgames Museum

Format (dcterms:format)

Playing Cards

Medium (dcterms:medium)

Physical card made of cloth, kharia leaves and tamarind powder. Reverse side varnished. Diameter: 4 inches.

Spatial Coverage (dcterms:spatial)

Odisha, Raghurajpur

Variants (dcterms:isVersionOf)

Mughal Ganjifa from Rajasthan

Interview with Chandrika Padmanabhan, Mysore ganjifa artist

Dashavatar Cards, Sawantwadi

Download and Play Ganjifa

Interview with Shraddha Bhonsle (Sawantwadi royal family)

Interview with Dr Arunima Pati 20250217

Dashavatar Cards

Ramayana Ganjapa from Sonepur

Playing Sawantwadi Ganjifa

Interview with Ganjapa [Ganjifa] artist Banamali Mahapatra

Raja (King) and Mantri (Vizier) card

Dashavatar Ganjifa Card, Raghurajpur

Mysore Chhad Ganjifa

Navagunjara Ganjifa Card, Raghurajpur

Bishnupur Naksh/Naqsh Cards

Tags (dcterms:conformsTo)

Ganjifa

Vishnu

Odisha