Location-

Locality : Bishnupur ( বিষ্ণুপুর )

Block Name : Rampurhat-ii
District : Birbhum
State : West Bengal
Division : Burdwan
Elevation / Altitude: 42 meters. Above Seal level

Map-

http://www.onefivenine.com/india/villages/Birbhum/Rampurhat_1aIi/Bishnupur

How to reach-
By bus, road or train from Kolkata.
By bus -
Calcutta State Transport Corporation CSTC and South Bengal State Transport Corporation SBSTC
buses ply regularly between Dharmatala/ Esplanade bus stand of Kolkata and Bishnupur. It takes about
45 hours to reach Bishnupur.The road distance is shorter than the rail distance, it is about 150 km. By
road - From Kolkata travel to Dankuni, take the Durgapur Expressway, at Ratanpur crossing turn left and
take the Sheoraphuli-Tarakeswar road, go straight through to Arambagh and Bishnupur.
By train -
It takes about 330 to 415 hours from Kolkata, distance 201 km. Convenient connections - departs from
Santragachi at 6.25 am, departing Howrah at 4.50 pm and departs from howrah at 5.45pm and Departs
From Santragachi at 21.25hrs only sunday. and arrive at Bishnupur at 00.02hrs and Departsfrom
Shalimar at 6.40hrs and departing Shalimar at 7.45 am. To come by from Howrah to Bishnupur,1st one
has to come at Santragachi by local train & then by .All these trains are via Kharagpur,Midnapur. You can
also opt for Howrah-Chakradharpur passenger which leaves Howrah at 2305 hrs. This train has sleeper
class provision.
Rupashi Bangla Express
Purulia Express
Siromoni Fast Passenger
Santragachi-Porbandar Kaviguru Express
Rajjyarani Tri weekly Express
Aranyak Express
Other option,
come at Kharagpur/Midnapur/Bardhman/Durgapur by train form Howrah.Then by bus. One can also take
a bus to Midnapore or Arambag and then change over to another local bus to Bishnupur which are more
or less frequently available every 30 - 45 minutes. Arambag is about 3 hours and Midnapore about 3 1/2
hours by bus from Bishnupur. The nearest commercial airport is at Kolkata. From other places - By bus
from Tarakeshwar By bus from Durgapur By train from Kharagpur By bus from Bardhman By train from
Asanso

Origin of the craft-

The Ganjifa playing practices in India were introduced and popularized by the Mughal emperors in the
16th century A.D. Though the origin of the word Ganjifa is obscure, following the conclusion of Rudolf Von
Heyden “Ganjifa is supposed to have travelled from Persia to India with the Persian etymology ‘ganj’ that
denotes treasure, treasury or minted money.ii As Kishor Gordhandas has noted, “There is always one
“Money Suit” named after a coin of local currency. In our Moghul Ganjifa, the two Suits called SAFED and
SURKH are said to have represented money: SAFED (White or Silver) represents CHANDRA and
SURKH (Red or Gold) represents SURYA.”
In Ain-i-Akbari by Abul Fazal we find a detailed account of an eight suited pack of Mughal ganjifa with 96
cards and also an “ancient’ pack of twelve suits. Albert Houtum-Schindler said in 1895 on the usual
content of Mughal ganjifa: “From travelers to Persia in the 17th century we know that a set of gangifeh
consisted of ninety or ninety-six cards in eight suits or colors.”

The Dynasty and the Game-

Bishnupur witnessed the rise of a glorious tradition of art, craft and culture since the 700 AD under the
patronage of the Malla kings of Bankura. The tradition reached its zenith during the reign (1565—1620
A.D) of Malla king Veer Hambir, the 49th ascender to the throne. His long and stable reign can be called
the golden era of arts and culture—classical in taste and nature. The tradition was carried forward by his
successors King Raghunath Singha and his son Veer Singha. Art, literature and music reached their
heights through research, experimentation, training and application. After his conversion to Vaishnavism,
according to some authors, under the influence of Vaishnav guru Srinivas Acharya, Veer Hambir was
inspired to create a distinct style of art and to nurture a different type of cultural atmosphere in Bishnupur.
i The establishment of Vaishanavism might have had something to do with enjoying pastime in a different
and non-violent way and this might have given birth to the game of ‘Dashabatar taas’. Vaishanavism also
hints that the game might have been imported from somewhere else, for Dashabatar Taas of Bishnupur
was none other form than Dasavtara Ganjifa which used to be played during the time in parts of India like
Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and the contemporary
Bengal. But Dashabatar Taas of Bankura developed its own distinct form and rules for playing.
The Ganjifa System-
Dashabatar Cards Dashabatar Cards (দশাবতার তাস) is a card game of West Bengal. It first originated
in Bishnupur, the town of Bankura District.In the 16th century, Bir Hambir, the king of Bishnupur,
invented this card. There are ten avatars of Bishnu in the cards.It is a unique example of Bengal’s
folk art.

Origin-
In 1592, Bir Hambir became king of Bishnupur. He had a great relationship with Akbar, so, a lot of times
he went to Akbar's court. Seeing the playing of cards he was surprised. Coming to his kingdom, he
thought of creating a new card in Godgoddess of uniqueness. According to his directive, artist from
Bishnupur, Kartik Faujdar, made the Dashabatar Cards. kings of Mallabhum play this card at leisure for
entertaining. However, Indian scholar Haraprasad Shastri said that this game first originated in the 8th
century. In 1895 he said in the Asiatic society's journal: ...I fully believe that the game was invented about
eleven or twelve hundred years before the present date. Because the placement of Jagannath (Buddha)
is in the 5th position in Dashabatar card, but in common belief, Jagannath is in the 9th position. Prabhat
Kumar Saha, an expert on Dashavatar cards, said: "Malla dynasty ruled from about 12th century AD to
1622". He confirmed that the Foujdars were the only makers of these cards in Bengal.

Method-
The artists from the Faujdar family of Bishnupur specialise in making these cards. At first, a piece of cloth
is folded a number of times. Then glue is pasted, made from tamarind seeds. After drying this, a layer of
chalk dust is applied on the cards. Both sides are evened out with a smooth stone. The cards are then cut
into round shapes of a 4.5-inch radius. Various deities and their symbols are painted on these using
various colours. On the reverse part, a layer of lac and vermillion is applied.

Cards-
Dashavatar cards are the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu - Matsya, Kurma, Baraha, Nrisingha, Buddha
Jagannath), Baaman, Ram, Balaram, Parshuram and Kalki are drawn on these cards. The Dashavatar
card game is a complicated one. It is played using 120 cards with numerous rules and regulations.

Dashabatar Taas of Banura

Once established, the ganjifa cards spread all over the country in either an original form of Mughal ganjifa
or in a slightly hinduized version, painted with Hindu gods and goddesses on it. In India two more suits
were added to the mother ganjifa and named all of them after the names of “Dash Abatar” or ten
incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The set has thus been known as Dashabatar or Dasavatara ganjifa. This
pack generally consists of 120 cards instead of 96 of Mughal set, and in Bishnupur unlike the other states
it is played by five players. The names of the suits of this Dasavatara ganjifa are respectively Matsya
(fish), Kurma (turtle), Baraha (boar), Nrisingha (a combination of man and lion together), Baman (Brahmin
dwarf), Parasuram (the sixth incarnation with axe), Sri Ram (the hero of Ramayana), Balaram (brother of
lord Sri Krishna), Buddha (the ninth incarnation with absolute peace) and Kalki (the ‘abatar’ yet to come).
Dashabatar Taas of Banura Once established, the ganjifa cards spread all over the country in either an
original form of Mughal ganjifa or in a slightly hinduized version, painted with Hindu gods and goddesses
on it. In India two more suits were added to the mother ganjifa and named all of them after the names of
“Dash Abatar” or ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The set has thus been known as Dashabatar or
Dasavatara ganjifa. This pack generally consists of 120 cards instead of 96 of Mughal set, and in
Bishnupur unlike the other states it is played by five players. The names of the suits of this Dasavatara
ganjifa are respectively Matsya (fish), Kurma (turtle), Baraha (boar), Nrisingha (a combination of man and
lion together), Baman (Brahmin dwarf), Parasuram (the sixth incarnation with axe), Sri Ram (the hero of
Ramayana), Balaram (brother of lord Sri Krishna), Buddha (the ninth incarnation with absolute peace) and
Kalki (the ‘abatar’ yet to come).

Naqsh Taas of Bankura

Besides, Dashabatar there is also another type of card in Bishnupur known as “Naqsh Taas”. Painting of
Bishnupur Naqsh Taas is the most popular among all kinds of Naqsh ganjifas prevalent all over India. As
the word ‘Naqsh’ (‘Naksha’ in Bengali) denotes pattern, design, shapes etc. the Naqsh cards are
accordingly ornamented with beautiful Patachitras, patterns and graphic stylizations. The Naqsh taas
pack consists of 48 cards with 4 equal suits of 12 cards each. These cards are generally produced in two
different sets—one is large and another is a miniature deck with 2″ of diameter. These small cards are
also created with much attention, precision and a thorough dedication in detailing. The most significant
part of this kind of card is the container pack which is also a decorative specimen with colours, paintings
and accessories. Remarkably the artists of Bishnupur are most famous for this kind of artistic wonders.
Naqsh Taases are generally played for gambling purposes and it was a favourite pastime for holydays,
Janmastami and an auspicious time between Dussera and Diwali or Kali Puja.

Ancient Cards-
Making ganjifa cards remains the sole fiefdom of the Fouzdars. Sital Fouzdar claimed to be the 87th
generation of the Fouzdar clan involved in making Dashavatar cards, from the time the card game
started. It was introduced during the reign of Bir Hambir who became the king of Bishnupur in 1592.
“Our ancestors have been making the cards since Malla kings ruled the region,” he told VillageSquare.in.
But some Indian scholars date the origin of the card game to an earlier era. In 1895, noted scholar
Haraprasad Shastri mentioned in the Asiatic journal that the game originated in the 8th century.
Proving Sital Fouzdar’s claims, researchers believe that the game was introduced in Bankura during the
rule of Bir Hambir, the king of Bishnupur in the 16th century, also the 49th ruler of Malla dynasty. Hambir
was a great patron of art, craft and literature.

Adaption from Akbar’s Court-

“Bir Hambir had cordial relations with King Akbar and visited him often. He was fascinated by ganjifa, the
card game being played in Akbar’s court,” said Kaushik Bhattacharya, assistant professor, department of
anthropology at Bidhannagar College, Kolkata.The word Fouzdar connotes a military title. “Local kings
brought us from our native Rajasthan to fight rival kings. King Hambir recognized the talent of a Fouzdar
who was interested more in art and culture than in wars and gave him the responsibility of making
Dashavatar cards,” said Sital Fouzdar. The family has been continuing the tradition for generations.
“Hambir introduced the card game in his kingdom with the theme of gods and goddesses,” Bhattacharya
told VillageSquare.in. “A member of the Fouzdar family with proclivity for arts designed the cards based
on the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.”
“A detailed description of an eight-suit pack of Mughal ganjifa with 96 cards can be found in Abul Fazal’s
Ain-i-Akbari,” said Bhattacharya. “The Fouzdars made some innovations and increased the number of
cards to 120. The game had five players.”

Gaming rules-
The rules of the play of Dasavatara ganjifa is essentially the same with the Mughal one, but in case of
Dasavatara ganjifa the eight suits of Mughal ganjifa are only extended to ten suits to make it more
complex and interesting. In Mughal custom the game generally gets started by the holder of the Raja
(King) of ‘Surkh’ in daytime. But in night the game will be started with the Raja of ‘Safed’ suit. Similarly in
Dasavatara ganjifa the lead starts with the king of ‘Ram’ suit in the day time and King of ‘Balaram’ during
the night. In system of Dashabatar taas of Bishnupur the game starts with the king of ‘Ram’ during the
day, Nrisingha at twilight, Kurma during a rainy day and Matsya during a rainy night. All these features
highlight how significant and enjoyable the game of the Dashabatar Taas was when it used to be relished
with vigour by the royal courtiers.

Artisan-

Sital Fouzdar (48), who lives in Bishnupur in Bankura district of West Bengal, was busy creating different
incarnations of Lord Vishnu on cards. Two of his family members were assisting him. Sital Fouzdar is
among the few practicing artisans trained in the art of making Dashavatar cards, popularly known as
ganjifa cards.
The signboard outside his house that also doubles up a shop at Sankhari Bazaar, Mansatola, reads:
“House of quality Dashavatar cards and Naqsh cards. An ancient traditional handicraft item of Bishnupur
dynasty.”As the name suggests, Dashavatar cards, also referred as Dashabatar cards, is a game of
cards, indicating the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the Hindu God, depicted on the cards. The card
game was once the favorite pastime of people living in Bishnupur and other parts of Bengal.But changing
times and the advent of modern forms of entertainment pushed the game to the margins. By adapting the
painting method on other decorative items and by reducing the number of cards in a pack, the Fouzdar
family that practices it and the government ensure its sustenance.

Lost market-
But the craftsmen rue that there is hardly any market for Dashavatar cards. “Earlier, buyers used to come
from far flung areas to buy the cards. We were also paid in advance and the orders took several months
to complete,” said Sital Fouzdar’s elder brother Subal Fouzdar.
“But times have changed. We hardly sell five to seven packs of the Dashavatar cards in a year,” Subal
Fouzdar told VillageSquare.in. “People have almost forgotten about them.” The Fouzdar clan hit rock
bottom financially when sale of the cards came to a stop a few years ago.

Innovation for Sustenance-

The brothers hit upon the idea of making and selling a separate pack of 10 cards for each incarnation of
Lord Vishnu, rather than making the entire bundle that had no takers. “We realized that people were no
longer interested in the card game but may be interested in the cards as decorative items,” said Subal
Fouzdar. They made a pack of 10 cards for every incarnation. “People showed interest. We began to get
good orders from shopkeepers across Bengal and even Biswa Bangla, the state-run handicraft shops
also started giving orders,” said Subal Fouzdar.He said that one of the reasons for ganjifa cards losing
appeal was also its high price. “A pack of 120 cards costs Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 since it takes at least a
month to make, involving six people at different stages,” he said. “The small packs of 10 cards are sold at
around Rs 2,000, which art lovers can afford.”
The Fouzdars have also made Durga Puja pandals with Dashavatar cards theme, to keep the traditional
art alive. Even quaint lanterns have been painted with the incarnations of Lord Vishnu to create new
market for the age-old craft. Read: Toy makers adapt to markets, add color to fading industry

Keeping art alive

The family’s younger generation is not interested in continuing the traditional art. “It involves hard work
and the result doesn’t justify the labor involved. I have learnt card-making but would prefer a job to this
profession,” said Sandeep (22), Sital Fouzdar’s nephew.The brothers rue that the art would become
extinct after them if no efforts are taken for its survival. “It is a wrong notion that we want to keep the card-
making process a secret,” said Sital Fouzdar. “We had rather requested the government for infrastructure
where we could mentor youth who want to learn the art.”

“We want to keep the art alive but there is hardly any support from the government. We have also
requested the government to give us a land for an art gallery where these spectacular cards can be
displayed for viewing and learning but nothing has been done,” he said.
But the administration denied allegations of laxity. “The government is keen to sustain by trying to present
the art in a new form,” Manas Mandal, sub-divisional officer at Bishnupur told VillageSquare.in. “We train
artisans to paint in lanterns and ornaments. The aim is to create a livelihood for them and also ensure the
art doesn’t fade away.”