Hindu Astro-Mythological Tarot

Published September 20, 2026 • Updated September 20, 2026

A hand-painted Ganjifa pack adapts tarot’s major and minor structure to Hindu astrological and mythological subjects.

Sawantwadi, Maharashtra, marked on a map of India.

Above: Sawantwadi, Maharashtra, India.

An unusual 78-card deck, conceptualised by Kishor N. Gordhandas, was hand-painted by artists from Sawantwadi in 1990; their names are not given. Its Hindu astro-mythological subjects are divided into 22 “major arcane” cards and 56 “minor arcanas”.^[1]

A 2008 Gulf News profile reports that Gordhandas had more than 4,500 cards, gathered from 70 countries.^[2] His Ganjifa collecting took him to artists across India; he stayed with makers in Sawantwadi and other centres to learn their regional forms. He later recalled that “every sitting was a learning experience.”^[2] His Sawantwadi work also included a design partnership with Rajmata Satvashiladevi Bhonsle. Together they designed themed Ganjifa decks for the Sawantwadi Palace Workshop, which produces cards under the name Sawantwadi Lacquerwares.

The 22-card “major arcane” group contains nine planetary cards, twelve zodiac subjects, and a Joker. The Joker shows Narad Muni, the travelling sage and musician associated with devotion to Vishnu.^[3] The remaining 56 cards make up four 14-card suits, identified by their pip symbols: Knowledge , Lotus , Trident and Missile . Each suit has cards numbered 1–10 and four courts: King, Queen, Vehicle and Abode. Vehicle cards depict the deity’s mount; Abode cards name the deity’s realm. For example, in the Missile suit, the Vehicle card shows Airavata, Indra’s mythical white elephant, and the Abode card is Indrapuri, Indra’s heavenly city.^[4] The cards are rectangular and measure 11 by 8.2 centimetres.

Card number, type and subject for the 22 “major arcane” cards.
#	Type	Subject
1	Planet	Mercury
2	Planet	Moon
3	Planet	Venus
4	Astrological subject	Dragon’s Head
5	Planet	Jupiter
6	Zodiac sign	Sagittarius
7	Planet	Mars
8	Zodiac sign	Libra
9	Planet	Saturn
10	Planet	Sun
11	Zodiac sign	Leo
12	Zodiac sign	Aries
13	Astrological subject	Dragon Tail
14	Zodiac sign	Aquarius
15	Zodiac sign	Capricorn
16	Zodiac sign	Scorpio
17	Zodiac sign	Virgo
18	Zodiac sign	Cancer
19	Zodiac sign	Gemini
20	Zodiac sign	Pisces
21	Zodiac sign	Taurus
22	Joker	Narad Muni —

Card range, pip symbol and court-card subjects for the four 14-card suits.
#	Suit	King	Queen	Vehicle	Abode
23–36	Knowledge	Brahma	Savitri	Swan	Brahmand
37–50	Lotus	Vishnu	Lakshmi	Garuda	Vaikunth
51–64	Trident	Shiva	Parvati	Nandi	Kailash
65–78	Missile	Indra	Shachi	Airavata	Indrapuri

22 “major arcane” Cards

Mercury: a four-armed figure rides a golden lion, holding a staff and other attributes.

Moon: a seated four-armed figure appears above a crescent, holding a vessel and other attributes.

Venus: a four-armed figure rides a brown horse, holding a lotus and other objects.

Dragon’s Head: a crowned head rides above a golden chariot drawn by a small horse.

Jupiter: a crowned figure rides a grey elephant, holding a lotus and other attributes.

Sagittarius: a full-length archer draws a bow and holds a second arrow.

Mars: a crowned figure rides a dark blue mount, holding a trident and other weapons.

Libra: a four-armed figure sits within a balance, with a pan on either side.

Saturn: a crowned figure rides a pale horse, with an attendant behind.

Sun: a seated figure appears within a gold disc ringed by rays.

Leo: a crowned figure rides a golden lion.

Aries: a crowned figure rides between two pale rams.

Dragon’s Tail: a crowned figure rides a long scaled creature above blue waves.

Aquarius: a figure sits inside a large golden vessel on a wheeled base.

Capricorn: a crowned figure rides a long-snouted aquatic creature with a curling tail.

Scorpio: a crowned figure sits on a large scorpion with its tail raised.

Virgo: a crowned figure sits cross-legged and holds a lotus and a vessel.

Cancer: a crowned figure rides a red-brown crab with its claws raised.

Gemini: two crowned figures sit facing one another, each holding an object.

Pisces: a crowned figure rides two large fish set side by side.

Taurus: a crowned figure rides a white bull.

Narad Muni: the sage stands with a stringed instrument and raises one hand.

56 “minor arcanas” Cards

Knowledge Suit

King of Knowledge: Brahma sits with three faces visible and four arms.

Queen of Knowledge: Savitri sits on a throne with four arms.

Abode of Brahma: Brahmand is shown as stars above a dark horizon.

One of Knowledge: a single white rectangular emblem sits inside a gold sunburst.

Two of Knowledge: two white rectangular emblems are arranged vertically.

Three of Knowledge: three white rectangular emblems cross the card diagonally.

Four of Knowledge: four white rectangular emblems sit near the corners.

Five of Knowledge: five white rectangular emblems form a centred pattern.

Six of Knowledge: six white rectangular emblems form two columns.

Seven of Knowledge: seven white rectangular emblems fill the card in staggered rows.

Eight of Knowledge: eight white rectangular emblems form two columns of four.

Nine of Knowledge: nine white rectangular emblems fill the card in staggered rows.

Ten of Knowledge: ten white rectangular emblems fill the card in staggered rows.

Lotus Suit

King of Lotus: blue-skinned Vishnu stands with four arms and holds his attributes.

Queen of Lotus: Lakshmi sits on a lotus with four arms and holds lotus flowers.

Vehicle of Vishnu: Garuda appears as a winged, bird-faced figure.

Abode of Vishnu: Vaikunth is shown as an arched palace gateway with a winged figure below.

One of Lotus: a single red lotus sits inside a gold sunburst.

Two of Lotus: two red lotuses with green stems are arranged vertically.

Three of Lotus: three red lotuses with green stems cross the card diagonally.

Four of Lotus: four red lotuses with green stems sit near the corners.

Five of Lotus: five red lotuses with green stems form a centred pattern.

Six of Lotus: six red lotuses with green stems form two columns.

Seven of Lotus: seven red lotuses with green stems fill the card in staggered rows.

Eight of Lotus: eight red lotuses with green stems form two columns of four.

Nine of Lotus: nine red lotuses with green stems fill the card in staggered rows.

Ten of Lotus: ten red lotuses with green stems fill the card in staggered rows.

Trident Suit

King of Trident: blue-skinned Shiva sits with a crescent and holds a trident.

Queen of Trident: Parvati sits beneath a parasol, holding a trident and other attributes.

Abode of Shiva: Kailash is shown as a snowy mountain landscape.

One of Trident: a single gold trident sits inside a red sunburst.

Two of Trident: two gold tridents cross the card diagonally.

Three of Trident: three gold tridents cross the card diagonally.

Four of Trident: four gold tridents sit near the corners.

Five of Trident: five gold tridents form a centred pattern.

Six of Trident: six gold tridents form two columns.

Seven of Trident: seven gold tridents fill the card in staggered rows.

Eight of Trident: eight gold tridents form two columns of four.

Nine of Trident: nine gold tridents fill the card in staggered rows.

Ten of Trident: ten gold tridents fill the card in staggered rows.

Missile Suit

King of Missile: Indra sits beneath a parasol with a star-tipped weapon in hand.

Queen of Missile: Shachi sits beneath a parasol with a star-tipped weapon in hand.

Abode of Indra: Indrapuri is shown as a richly decorated palace pavilion.

One of Missile: a single star-tipped missile sits inside a red sunburst.

Two of Missile: two star-tipped missiles cross the card diagonally.

Three of Missile: three star-tipped missiles cross the card diagonally.

Four of Missile: four star-tipped missiles sit near the corners.

Five of Missile: five star-tipped missiles form a centred pattern.

Six of Missile: six star-tipped missiles form two columns.

Seven of Missile: seven star-tipped missiles fill the card in staggered rows.

Eight of Missile: eight star-tipped missiles form two columns of four.

Nine of Missile: nine star-tipped missiles fill the card in staggered rows.

Ten of Missile: ten star-tipped missiles fill the card in staggered rows.

References

Card images and catalogue: Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Digital Cultural Resources, Hindu Astro-mythological cards (ganjifa-110). ←
Sachin Kuray, “Custodian of cards,” Gulf News, October 21, 2008, interview with Gordhandas on his collection, Ganjifa work and visits to artists: “Custodian of cards”. ← ←
Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Book 1, chapter 5, translated by G. V. Tagare: “The Dialogue Between Vyāsa and Nārada”. ←
Airavata and Indrapuri: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, “Indra and Indrani Riding on Airavata”; Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Book 8, chapter 15, translated by G. V. Tagare: “Bali’s Conquest of the Svarga (Celestial Region)”. ←

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By Adam Wintle

Thailand • Member since March 15, 1997

Adam has been involved in developing the site as well as reviewing new decks and conducting research. He is particularly interested in innovation, Kickstarter and East Asian cards. He is a member of the IPCS, 52 Plus Joker, and webmaster of the EPCS.

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