Nandi and Bhringi Were Playing Chaukabara — A Painting by Jagadish M. Kamble
- by Rahul Singh
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One of the most striking images associated with the 11th edition of Kreedaa Kaushalya is a painting by artist Jagadish M. Kamble — Nandi and Bhringi, the two devoted attendants of Lord Shiva, seated across from each other, deep in a game of Chaukabara.
Chaukabara is one of Karnataka's oldest traditional board games — a cross-and-circle game played on a cloth or fabric board, using cowrie shells as dice and wooden pawns. It is a game that transcends households and generations.
The image is a reminder that board games were not merely entertainment. They appear in mythology, in temple carvings, in royal courts, and in village mantapas. The Ramsons Kala Pratishtana research team has documented game petroglyphs at the foot of the Chamundi Hills, inside Chamundeshwari temple, at Chidambaram, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore fort, and at bathing ghats in Varanasi — evidence of a civilisation that played.
Chaukabara is available at Ramsons in Kalamkari, Lambani embroidery, and Solapur Dhurrie craft forms. No two boards are identical.
Browse the collection at shop.houseoframsons.com.
