Mysooru Ganjifa - Article originally published on The Better India Website

Mysore Ganjifa - Reviving a Forgotten Art form 

In search of Ganjifa and the Artist

“ Ganjifa“is the name given to an ancient Indian card game. Historically this game is believed to have been brought to India and popularised during the Moghul period.  Quite aptly the name Ganjifa comes from the Persian word “ Ganjifeh “ which means playing cards.

The speciality of these cards is that they are traditionally hand- painted. The cards are typically circular. This was a game that was popular and played across Medieval India. Each region in the country had its own form of the game. There was the Sawantwadi Ganjifa from Maharashtra, Navadurga Ganjifa from Orrisa, Rajasthan and Gujrat Ganijfa , Kashmir Ganjifa, Nepal Ganjifa and the Mysooru Ganjifa which was greatly patronized by the Mysore Royal family during their reign.

A quest to find out more about the traditional “Mysooru Ganjifa” and its popularity in our present times (read: non- existence) will lead you  to a tucked away corner in the city of Mysore – the capital of the Erstwhile Mysore State(Karnataka) . Mysore or Mysooru as it is now known was once the seat of the Mysore kings

In one hidden corner of this city, tucked away in a quiet locality near the famous Chamundi Hills of Mysore is the home of  Shri Raghupathi Bhatta or Ganjifa Rahupathi Bhatta as he is popularly known. A very humble and simple man, a large chunk of whose life as an artist was spent reviving Mysooru Ganjifa in an attempt to popularize it in our present times. His interest  in traditional paintings of the region that led to his active interest in the restoration and revival of Ganjifa Miniature paintings.

Early History of the game 

In the days before the Moghul period the traditional game of cards played with hand- painted miniature cards was known as “Chad”. “Chad” means growing or the growth of money in the old Kannada language.  Chad was played mainly in the royal palaces. Another earlier name for the cards was “ Kreeda patra “ – meaning playing cards or “ Devaratada yelegalu “ meaning Cards representing the game of God. These cards  were used to devise several card games each representing different Hindu Shloka’s, Mythological stories, stories from the Hindu Purana’s, the Upanishads etc.

The Moghuls brought with them their own version of a card game called, Ganjifa, now known as Moghul Ganjifa and patronised their own playing methodologies during their time. It is believed that Ganjifa as we know it in modern times is really an amalgamation of the Moghul playing style and our own Chada or Kreedapatra.

 Quite contrary to this popular belief, Ganjifa Raghupathi Bhatta has an interesting story to tell us on what he believes are the actual origins of the game. Shri Raghupathi Bhatta is of the firm belief that the Moghuls actually adopted the Indian Kreedapatra to devise the Moghul Ganjifa paying form. Indian Ganjifa from different regions across the country, including the Mysooru Ganjifa have several different types of games each played with different sets of cards, numbers and their own unique methodology. The Mysooru Ganjifa itself has 18 different types of sets and games.  

Mysooru Ganjifa was extensively patronised by the Mysore Royal Family – The Wodeyar Kings . Given that the main aim of the game was to teach, learn and tell stories from our ancient scriptures and holy books all the 18 games in the Mysooru Ganjifa Style were set to stories and shloka's from the Hindu Purana’s and stories from our great epics.  The Dashavatara Ganjifa which is a series based on the 10 different forms of the Hindu God Vishnu was the most popular of the 18 Ganjifa games and is the best known to this day. The Dashavatara Ganjifa has a set of 120 different playing cards..

In the old times,  there was always one lead artist or creator in the Royal Palace  who along with the king decided on the Shloka’s and stories that would be used for a game.  They would then decide on the number of cards that would be made for that particular story and the artist would complete all illustrations and drawings/ paintings  for the first set.  This would then be replicated by the artists employed in the Royal palace. Another interesting comparison the artist makes is between the modern day set of 53 cards and the Mysooru Dashavatara Ganjifa each of which have 10 main card types. Based completely on his own research Shri Raghupathi Bhatta believes that modern day playing cards as we know them might well have origins in the Dashavatara playing style with 10 main cards, King and Queen likened to Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Shri Narayan and the Joker card likened to Garuda- the mythical bird from Hindu Mythology.

The Artists Tryst with Ganjifa  

The artist had an early induction into the Mysooru Ganjifa miniature style of painting during his studies at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishat. However it was not until many years later in the early 1980’s ( 1981- 82) that he chanced upon Ganjifa originals from the Mysore Palace. The originals he chanced upon were about 200 years old and he was attracted to the beauty of the painting and fascinated with the fact that these cards had stood the test of time and not lost any of their original beauty.  All Mysooru Ganjifa paintings were made from natural dyes and colours and squirrel hair brushes were used for their fineness.

Thus began Ganjifa Shri Raghupathi Bhatta’s early quest to study Ganjifa and his pursuit to revive this form of painting (even if not the game itself) in modern times.  His research and Ganjifa studies not only covered the Mysooru form but also other forms of Ganjifa that exist in our country and their specific nuances. In re- creating some of these miniature paintings, the artist also uses natural colours and dyes by making his own colours from natural sources.  He makes all his colours by hand and they are rich in natural minerals and vegetable dyes. He also uses his own fine brushes  including squirrel hair brushes suitable to the Ganjifa painting technique. Shri Raghupathi Bhatta successfully re- created a large number of Ganjifa paintings and cards. He also had a significantly large customer base as people started buying his re- creations, made using the traditional painting technique. 

While there is no specific and documented technique to the Mysooru Ganjifa, the artist’s early studies revealed that all figures, illustrations and faces were made in the form of the ancient Hindu Lotus Face. The Mysooru Ganjifa paintings in addition to being very intricate and detailed, were usually made on cards which have three inch diameters.The early Ganjifa paintings were made on leafs, paper and  Ivory and cloth were also used along with several layers of paper. All paintings are now done on Paper or thick cloth but the  colours used for original re- creations are still made  using water, gum and other  natural resources .

An attempt at revival 

As a part of his quest to revive and popularise this ancient tradition of miniature paintings Shri Raghupathi Bhatta  used to exhibit his Ganjifa work  in a museum in Srirangapatana close to Mysore. The artist shifted his works to a smaller museum and studio in Mysore once the museum shut down. This too had to be shut down  in the year 2000 due to lack of any support financial or otherwise from the Government and patrons. So after an almost 18 year focused study and attempted revival of Ganjifa, what is left today are a large number of miniature paintings and the man himself – Ganjifa Shri Raghupathi Bhatta one of the pioneers of Mysooru Ganjifa.

A testimony to his early recognition as a Ganjifa Revival artist is that fact that he has demonstrated this fine art at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and his works are also part of a permanent exhibit there. He also has several awards to his name including the Presidents Award in 1993 and the Lalitha Kala Akademi Award in 1996 for his pioneering work in this field.

Lack of proper support and encouragement  not only put paid to his aspirations of reviving this age old art but also left him at a loss on all counts.  His plans and dreams of establishing a permanent museum and revival centre somewhere got lost in the sands of time. As an artist Shri Raghupathi Bhatta had to suddenly contend and compete with cheaper imitations done using acrylic paints  and copied original pictures.

The only memories of his 18 years spent in close association with the art form are several original miniature paintings he has with him from 200 years ago as well as some of the originals he re- created.

Shri Raghupathi Bhatta’s work with Ganjifa is not restricted to the form and technique of painting and its origins. A detailed discussion with him reveals  that he has not only studied this school of miniature painting but is also a storehouse of knowledge on the history and origin of the game, playing techniques etc. He has written several pieces on the subject which have been published as well. Also with him is an unpublished manuscript of a book on the subject. 

Final words 

Ganjifa Shri Raghupathi Bhatta today works on traditional paintings based on the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Upanishads and has showcased a lot of his work overseas in countries like Japan and Canada. For a man who once had made it his life’s mission to revive Ganjifa, he is today more focussed on commissioned art works overseas and is almost reticent  and withdrawn when asked about Ganjifa and his work in the field.

As we talk about this there is an underlying feeling of regret and disappointment in the artist’s demeanour . The journey he embarked upon 20 years ago is obviously incomplete for reasons not totally within his control such as a lack of appreciation for hard work and originality.   Ganjifa Shri Raghupathi Bhatta whilst having weaned himself away from his life’s mission deep down wishes there was some way to completely revive this lost art.

 His last words are reflective of what he wishes deep down. He wishes people and patrons of art would learn to recognise originals from cheap copies and encourage, buy and use local art forms like Ganjifa. All we need are discerning and enthusiastic patrons who believe in this cause and those who have the conviction to Support artists like Ganjifa Shri Raghupathi Bhatta – A simple and humble artist living in isolation and seclusion. 

At Banna Creations, Ganjifa Is one of the art forms we are working on reviving with the artist himself.  In keeping with our model to revive and re- create an awareness for dwindling art forms within our country we promote Ganjifa as one of our premium art forms and also facilitate workshops conducted by the artist himself.

Please go to www.bannacreations.com for details.