Games
Snakes and Ladders was born in India.
It was called Mokṣapaṭa — the soul's climb toward mokṣa (liberation), every ladder a virtue and every snake a vice. Britain took the board in the nineteenth century and left the philosophy behind.
Mokṣapaṭa in Sanskrit, Vaikuṇṭhapāḷi in Telugu, Parama Padam in Tamil, moksha patam and moksha patamu as it is searched for — the original snakes and ladders, and a sliding puzzle beside it.
The climb, and the war
The board runs a hundred squares to mokṣa. Ladders are virtues, snakes are vices, and the sage waits at the top — the part the Victorian version dropped.
- Solo or two on one phone, pass and play.
- A private room with a phone each, in real time.
- Three pieces on the same board — a Rāja with Gaja and Ratha. Land on an enemy and it goes home; a covered piece cannot be taken.
- Nothing here reads a chart, an ephemeris or an account.
- Free, no ads, nothing to unlock. High scores stay on the device and carry names, because several people share a phone.
Questions
Games
Snakes & Ladders
Vedic Phala
