AGB
Member
- Joined
- Feb 7, 2003
- Messages
- 859
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- HSC
- 2004
i just found a text that is actually pretty good for imaginative journeys....the board game 'snakes and ladders'
here is some of the stuff i found about it on the internet (copy and paste)
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"like Snakes and Ladders which was called Paramapada Sopanam and the original game is all but forgotten. Paramapada Sopanam means `steps to the highest place'. The game was believed to be a symbolic attempt to reach God. The ladders represent virtues and the snakes represent vices. This game was played on the night of Vaikunta Ekadasi (the 11th day after the new moon in the month of Margazhi the ninth month of the lunar calendar).
Paramapada Sopanam was given as the first prize for the winner in all the three games. All the participants took away a new pocket game Kattam Veliyattu and a certificate.
This game had its origin in India and was used to teach morality. The bases of the ladders being located on squares representing various types of good and the more numerous snakes coming from squares representing various forms of evil. The squares of virtue on the original game are Faith, Reliability, Generosity, Knowledge and Asceticism; the squares of evil are Disobedience, Vanity, Vulgarity, Theft, Lying, Drunkenness, Debt, Rage, Greed, Pride, Murder and Lust. The game is Hindu and was used to teach children about the religion in that the good squares allow a player to ascend higher in the league of life, whereas evil will reduce a player back through reincarnation to lower tiers of life. Presumably the last square, 100, represents Nirvana.
In fact, many of the games, now popular in the West, were originally from India. "Snakes and Ladders" is just a variation of Moksha Patam or Parama Padam. It was used to teach children about values and religion. The virtues allowed one to ascend higher while the vices reduced a player to lower levels. The morality of the game appealed to the Victorians who took it back to England with them and renamed the virtues and vices according to Victorian ideals. Over time, the game lost its moral overtones.
This ancient race game, like Pachisi, originated in India although the author isn't sure when. It is a game of morality with the bases of the ladders being located on squares representing various types of good and the more numerous snakes coming from squares representing various forms of evil. The squares of virtue on the original game are Faith (12), Reliability (51), Generosity (57), Knowledge (76), Asceticism (78); the squares of evil are Disobedience (41), Vanity (44), Vulgarity (49), Theft (52), Lying (58), Drunkenness (62), Debt (69), Rage (84), Greed (92), Pride (95), Murder (73) and Lust (99). The game is Hindu and was used to teach children about the religion in that the good squares allow a player to ascend higher in the league of life whereas evil will reduce a player back through reincarnation to lower tiers of life. Presumably the last square, 100, represents Nirvana.
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here is some of the stuff i found about it on the internet (copy and paste)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"like Snakes and Ladders which was called Paramapada Sopanam and the original game is all but forgotten. Paramapada Sopanam means `steps to the highest place'. The game was believed to be a symbolic attempt to reach God. The ladders represent virtues and the snakes represent vices. This game was played on the night of Vaikunta Ekadasi (the 11th day after the new moon in the month of Margazhi the ninth month of the lunar calendar).
Paramapada Sopanam was given as the first prize for the winner in all the three games. All the participants took away a new pocket game Kattam Veliyattu and a certificate.
This game had its origin in India and was used to teach morality. The bases of the ladders being located on squares representing various types of good and the more numerous snakes coming from squares representing various forms of evil. The squares of virtue on the original game are Faith, Reliability, Generosity, Knowledge and Asceticism; the squares of evil are Disobedience, Vanity, Vulgarity, Theft, Lying, Drunkenness, Debt, Rage, Greed, Pride, Murder and Lust. The game is Hindu and was used to teach children about the religion in that the good squares allow a player to ascend higher in the league of life, whereas evil will reduce a player back through reincarnation to lower tiers of life. Presumably the last square, 100, represents Nirvana.
In fact, many of the games, now popular in the West, were originally from India. "Snakes and Ladders" is just a variation of Moksha Patam or Parama Padam. It was used to teach children about values and religion. The virtues allowed one to ascend higher while the vices reduced a player to lower levels. The morality of the game appealed to the Victorians who took it back to England with them and renamed the virtues and vices according to Victorian ideals. Over time, the game lost its moral overtones.
This ancient race game, like Pachisi, originated in India although the author isn't sure when. It is a game of morality with the bases of the ladders being located on squares representing various types of good and the more numerous snakes coming from squares representing various forms of evil. The squares of virtue on the original game are Faith (12), Reliability (51), Generosity (57), Knowledge (76), Asceticism (78); the squares of evil are Disobedience (41), Vanity (44), Vulgarity (49), Theft (52), Lying (58), Drunkenness (62), Debt (69), Rage (84), Greed (92), Pride (95), Murder (73) and Lust (99). The game is Hindu and was used to teach children about the religion in that the good squares allow a player to ascend higher in the league of life whereas evil will reduce a player back through reincarnation to lower tiers of life. Presumably the last square, 100, represents Nirvana.
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