#SacredGames - Snakes & Ladders, The Traditional Way | Experiential event by Raamesh Gowri Raghavan

#SacredGames - Snakes & Ladders, The Traditional Way
An experiential event by Raamesh Gowri Raghavan at Khaki Lab, Fort

Snakes and Ladders is often seen as a simple childhood game. But its traditional Indian versions carried deep cultural, spiritual, and social meanings, serving as much more than a pastime. At our experiential event #SacredGames, researcher Raamesh Gowri Raghavan explores the fascinating world of these historic game boards. He traces their connections to festivals such as Mahashivratri and Ashadi Ekadashi, as well as ritualistic and community traditions. He also decodes the notations, scripts, and visual elements found on traditional boards, revealing the historical and cultural contexts in which they were created. The event concludes with live demonstrations and an opportunity to play these traditional games firsthand, offering an immersive and interactive experience. Participants will also receive a specially curated traditional board game set to take home.

About the presenter

Raamesh Gowri Raghavan is a researcher, writer, and educator specialising in archaeology, cultural history, and the study of ancient games. His research draws on game boards and pieces unearthed in excavations, games etched on monument floors, heirlooms, literary references, and ethnological reports to explore how games can deepen our understanding of historical societies.