Channapatna Ivory Wood Snake & Ladders Board Game White

Toys from Channapatna embrace the time-honoured technique of chiselling locally harvested ivory wood into precise forms. Skilled artisans use specialised tools to shape and then smoothen, finally assembling and decoratively painting these pieces with non-toxic, natural dyes. Snakes and Ladders, known as Moksha Patam or Gyan Chaupar, is a traditional board game that originated in mediaeval India and Nepal. Historically, it served both as a form of recreation and a spiritual lesson in the attainment of moksha (liberation) from the cycle of death and rebirth. The game’s design varies, but the concept remains consistent: players move across a board filled with snakes and ladders, which represent karmic forces—either hindering or helping progress toward spiritual enlightenment.