Game of Heaven and Hell (Jnana Bagi)
January 19, 2011
This amazing image is from a proto-version of Snakes and Ladders which was shown to us as this week’s Crossover Labs (from Wellcome Images, ref L0035004):
Game of Heaven and Hell (Jnana Bagi). This old Indian game, known to us as ‘Snakes and Ladders’, was originally a vehicle for teaching ethics. Each square has not only a number but a legend which comprises the names of various virtues and vices. The longest ladder reaches from square 17 ‘Compassionate Love’ to 69 ‘The World of the Absolute’. Late 18th Century.
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