# Leela and Snakes and Ladders: what changed

Snakes and Ladders is a simplified Western copy of Leela, the Indian game of knowledge. Both use a die, a race up the board and shortcuts up and down. Leela keeps what the copy dropped: 72 squares that each name a state of being, arrows and snakes as virtues and vices, a personal question, and a goal at 68.

## Is Snakes and Ladders based on Leela?

Yes. Snakes and Ladders descends from gyan chaupar, the Indian game of knowledge, of which Leela is the modern form. The game was registered in London in 1892 by F. H. Ayres as a 100-square spiral with five snakes and five ladders. Around 1900 British boards still carried moral labels such as "Penitence" on their ladders. By the 1940s the game had been "stripped of everything but its bare mechanics", and in 1943 it reached American children as Chutes and Ladders.

Leela itself was revived in 1975 by Harish Johari, who published the 72-square Vaishnava board with a commentary for every square.

## What are the main differences?

The mechanics survived almost intact. What changed is what the board means and what a game is for.

|  | Leela | Snakes and Ladders |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | Indian gyan chaupar, 18th century boards; Johari 1975 | London, 1892 |
| Squares | 72, each a named state of being | Usually 100, numbered only |
| Upward links | 10 arrows, each a virtue | Ladders, usually unnamed |
| Downward links | 10 snakes, each a vice | Snakes, usually unnamed |
| Start | Unborn on 68, a six to be born on 6 | Off the board, start at 1 |
| Goal | Exactly 68, Cosmic Consciousness | Square 100 |
| Past the goal | Top row 69 to 72, snake from 72 to 51 | Bounce back or wait for exact throw |
| Purpose | Reflection on a question | Race to win |
| Winner | None, each plays his own journey | First to finish |
| Record | A journal of the path | None |

## Why are there arrows instead of ladders in Leela?

The historical Indian boards used ladders. Johari chose the word "arrows" for his board, and the image fits: an arrow is something you aim and release, as a virtue is something you practise. Each of the ten arrows begins on a virtue, such as Purification, Charity, Selfless service or Conscience, and points to the state that virtue opens.

The snakes stayed snakes. Each one begins on a vice, such as Envy, Jealousy, Egotism or Darkness, and its tail lands on what that vice produces. Envy falls to Avarice; Egotism falls to Anger. In Snakes and Ladders a snake is bad luck. In Leela it is a lesson with a name.

## Why does Leela end at 68 and not at the last square?

In Snakes and Ladders the goal is the end of the track. In Leela the goal, 68 Cosmic Consciousness, sits in the middle of the top row, and every player starts there, unborn. The game is a return, not a race. Beyond 68 lie the three gunas, and the last square, 72 Tamoguna, is a snake that sends the player back to 51 Earth.

This preserves an idea the Western copy lost: the Indian boards could be replayed without end, as a cycle of births, while the Victorian game ended at 100 with a winner.

## Is Leela just Snakes and Ladders for adults?

Mechanically they are close: neither has any move to choose, and the die decides everything. That is precisely why Leela works as a mirror. Since you cannot steer, the interest lies in what you notice: the square you land on, the question you bring to it, the snakes and arrows that keep returning over several games.

A game of Snakes and Ladders lasts a few minutes and is forgotten. A game of Leela leaves a written path you can come back to. On Leela Atlas every journey is kept in your Atlas, with arrows marked as strengths and snakes as lessons.

## FAQ

**Which came first, Leela or Snakes and Ladders?**
The Indian game of knowledge came first. Its oldest surviving boards date from the eighteenth century, while the first documented English Snakes and Ladders was registered in 1892. The name Leela for the 72-square board comes from Harish Johari's book of 1975, which revived the older Indian form.

**How many snakes and ladders are in Leela?**
Harish Johari's Leela board has ten arrows, which play the role of ladders, and ten snakes, on 72 squares. The first English Snakes and Ladders of 1892 had five of each on 100 squares. Historical Indian boards varied, with Sufi boards having more ladders than snakes and Jain boards more snakes than ladders.

**Can children play Leela?**
Children can enjoy the board and its story, and Jain teachers have long used the game of knowledge to teach karma to children. The full practice, with a personal question and reflection on each square, suits teenagers and adults better. A parent can play alongside and keep the questions simple.