Playing cards were made in India at least as long ago as the beginning of the sixteenth century. It is not certain whether they pre-date European and Middle-Eastern cards, but there is enough similarity to say that they are related. ‘Ganjifa’ is the name of a game commonly played with the cards, as well as the cards themselves.
The Indian cards are arranged in suits of twelve, like Spanish sets. They have two court figures — a Shah or Mir (King) and a Wazir (Minister) — and ten numerals. The most common arrangement, ‘Mughal Ganjifa’, has eight suits, and 96 cards in all, almost certainly the result of combining two simpler sets of 48.
The suits relate to various aspects of the Court of a wealthy ruler:
| Suit | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Taj | a crown representing the court and its regalia |
| Safed | white or silver, and meaning a coin, also associated with the moon |
| Shamsher | a curved sword and sometimes shown with military figures |
| Ghulam | a household assistant in one of many possible roles |
| Chang | a small harp, relating to entertainment |
| Surkh | meaning red or gold and also associated with the sun |
| Barat | a document, related to the chancellery of the court |
| Qimash | general household items, often shown as a bolster cushion |
The Ghulam suit numerals show increasingly large groups of people and are often very interesting designs. Many of the numeral cards have people or animals added, simply to make them interesting. The Chang suit often depicts the harem, where music was played, and as a result the cards often have female characters. In some regions, the harp was unknown and the artist made something up — a cap or a horn, say — a practice that has puzzled many students of these cards.
Illustrations
Left: Single Mughal Ganjifa court card. Mir of Surkh (gold coins).
All the cards shown date from c.1850–1875.
Right: Single Mughal Ganjifa – ten of Ghulam,
the suit showing court assistants.
Ganjifa are traditionally circular and made by hand-painting onto thick card and then varnished for protection and smoothness. Some are more lavishly produced on materials like ivory and brass. As these cards are so beautifully painted (see the examples), it is unfortunate that we cannot identify their creators as there was no tradition for the maker to add a personal signature or symbol.
European and American cards can be given approximate dates through tax stamps and because of a steady evolution of the techniques used for printing, but the traditional painting of Ganjifa has remained largely unchanged. It is therefore highly useful to have reference examples where dates are already known. The Victoria & Albert Museum in London has over 35 Ganjifa sets, many from the Victorian era and some even earlier. These mostly have known dates and they have been catalogued by Ganjifa expert Rudolf von Leyden.
Illustrations
Above: Mughal Ganjifa: The 8 of Surkh (gold coins).
Below: Dashavatara Ganjifa Court Card: A Wazir, possibly from suit of cows.
The most popular variant is called ‘Dashavatara Ganjifa’ with 120 cards. These embody a Hindu culture as the ten suits are chosen to symbolise the ten incarnations of Vishnu — the ‘avatara’ part of the naming.
In later Indian packs, we see up to 20 suits. Why have Indian cards evolved into such large sets? In Ganjifa sets, every card is hand-painted and each set requires a huge labour commitment. The makers must have been much happier to sell cards in larger sets, and equally, their prosperous owners must have been proud to own such imposing sets of cards.
Bridge players may want to pause to consider what their game would be like with eight suits instead of four. Those wishing to try could buy a ‘Fat Pack’ (there is a website) with four additional suits so 104 cards in all. The play would be difficult with so many cards to keep track of — but the bidding with eight suits would offer all sorts of new possibilities.
The author is a Court Assistant in the Worshipful Company of Makers of Playing Cards — see www.makersofplayingcards.co.uk. Many more sets of cards are illustrated on the author’s website www.plainbacks.com.
