Ratha-Hathi and Ratha-Ghoda Ganjifa

Above: Brahmapur and Chikiti, Odisha.

Straightforward and folksy is the rule for this type of deck, which follows the usual ganjifa composition. There are eight suits, with each suit containing ten pip and two court cards: the pradhan (minister) lower court card and the raja (king) upper court card.

Each pradhan card portrays a rider on an elephant for a Ratha-Hathi deck or a horse for a Ratha-Ghoda deck (the pradhan mount is the only thing that differentiates one deck from the other, which is why they're usually discussed together). Each raja card shows a figure in a chariot. The pip cards use either stylized objects similar to ones in nabagunjara decks or birds as the pip symbols.

Unlike many other ganjifa deck variants, Ratha-Hathi/Ratha-Ghoda is actually used for gameplay: you can see games in progress in places like Digapahandi and Chikiti in Odisha’s Ganjam region. (See here for a video from filmmaker Manas Ranjan.)

The bold, folksy artwork of Odisha comes through in this delightful feathered Ratha-Hathi deck by Sitakanta Mahapatro of Brahmapur. (Note: The IGNCA database has his last name spelled with both an “o” and an “a” at the end.)

Sitakanta Mahapatro created a second Ratha-Hathi deck with symbols instead of birds for the pips.

The Ratha-Hathi/Ratha-Ghoda deck seems like an everyman’s version of Mughal Ganjifa, which is arguably the earliest type of ganjifa, introduced to India from Persia. There’s great similarity between the two.

Unlike the vast majority of ganjifa decks, neither Ratha-Hathi/Ratha-Ghoda nor Mughal Ganjifa is centered around a religious or mythological motif. Both contain the same number of suits. Both have similar court cards, the one difference being that in Mughal Ganjifa, the raja figures are seated on thrones instead of chariots. Both use stylized objects for pips, the difference, again, being that Mughal Ganjifa’s are regal accoutrements like crowns and swords whereas Ratha-Hathi/Ratha-Ghoda employs simpler, more everyday symbolism.

That’s not to imply the two decks are related, only that they share commonalities.

Above, a Ratha-Hathi deck by Appana Mahapatro from Chikiti, which is nearby Brahmapur. The similarity in styles between the two decks is readily apparent. (It’s unclear whether the two artists are related.)