Talk:Indoor Sports:Playing Cards
From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia
By Vishal Agarwal and The Hindu Society of Minnesota
Playing Cards (Kṛḍāpatram or Gañjiphā): The invention of playing cards is also attributed to Ancient Indian civilization. These original cards were circular in shape and are still manufactured in the town of Pend on the west coast of India. In cards we have packs with 8, 9 and 10 sets apart from the usual 12.
The numbers were derived from the eight cardinal directions (Aṣṭadikpāla) for the pack with 8 sets, from the nine planets (Navagraha) for the one with 9 sets, and from the ten incarnations (Daśāvatāra) of Viṣṇu for the pack with 10 sets. Themes from the Rāmāyaṇa and Mahābhārata are painted on these cards.
