Ludo

This is an old painting from Nurpur, Himachal Pradesh.

It shows Shiva and Parvati playing Chaupada (Chaupar), an ancient form of Ludo. Ludo originated in India. The earliest known depiction of an archaic form of Ludo comes from Ellora Caves dating back to the 6th century CE. Ludo was known in Medieval India as either Chaupar or Pachisi.

After the British came to India, they learned about this game. They slightly modified the game and patented it under their own name as “Ludo” in 1896 with the Patent number 14636.