Kama Sutra Ganjifa

Above: Odisha, in eastern India.

Couples copulate in various poses on these Indo-French Ganjifa handmade cards featuring erotic Indian art displayed on the familiar 52-card French-suited deck.

The typical arrangement is 13 different illustrations of Kama Sutra positions, with each rank – i.e. all Threes or all Jacks – receiving the same image. These cards come in both the traditional round as well as rectangular shapes. Note the upside-down placement of the hearts suit symbol; perhaps the artist was unfamiliar with Western cards.

It’s unclear whether all illustrations are of genuine Kama Sutra positions (the reader is free to investigate here). It’s highly likely these decks were designed for collectors and tourists, not actual gameplay.

There’s a little mystery concerning this deck’s provenance. The cards are illustrated in the bright, bold, unmistakable style of Pattachitra folk painting tradition native to Odisha in eastern India. Indeed, I was shown the same type of cards, including the upside-down heart symbols, by someone in Odisha.

However, Khazana Imported Arts & Textiles, which provided the images of this deck, said it was purchased in Sawantwadi in southwestern India, hundreds of miles from Odisha. Sawantwadi has its own unique ganjifa tradition that looks nothing like the art on these cards. Most likely, they were painted in Odisha, then somehow wound up in Sawantwadi.