Beaded game board for Pagade/Pachisi/Chaupar

Hi,

Most Indian households are familiar with the ancient Indian game of Pagade or Pachisi.  You surely would remember playing it with your grandma/grandpa as it formed an integral part of their leisure times.  Apart from being lots of fun, it would also mean spending quality time with our grandparents, who had several secrets and tricks up their sleeves making it impossible to beat them in this game!

Check out the history of the game in this beautiful article by Ramsons in Mysore, who organize an annual event inviting citizens of Mysore to relive their favourite memories, by playing ancient traditional Indian games.  Here is a link to another online article with details on this game..

The grandmas usually created game boards for this game with colorful cloth bits, handsewn together to make it a treasured heirloom, like this one on the left, sourced from the Internet.

Another variation was with beads, which I inherited from my mother. She has used three colors of beads, the offwhite/cream, red for the important squares, and black for the borders of the squares.  To add some jazz to the piece, she has sewn in a peacock pattern in the center of the game board.

Check out the pictures below and emulate the closeup if you want to create one for yourself..

And if you have the time, why not go some treasure-hunting in your attic?  You might discover this and many more ancient heirlooms stashed away and waiting to be re-discovered!  Better still, go nag your grandma to part with her prized possessions now, instead of waiting to inherit them!!