🎲 Moksha Patam – The Ancient Snakes & Ladders

📖 Origin & History

Moksha Patam, the ancient Indian board game, is the original form of Snakes and Ladders. It was designed as a moral teaching tool where ladders symbolized virtues like honesty and faith, while snakes represented vices like greed, anger, and lust. The ultimate goal was to reach Moksha (liberation).

💡 Did You Know?

🐍 The snakes symbolized human flaws dragging players down.

🪜 Ladders symbolized virtues that uplift the soul.

🇬🇧 The British took Moksha Patam to England in the 19th century and called it Snakes & Ladders.

🌍 In the U.S., Milton Bradley adapted it as Chutes and Ladders.

🔁 Evolution

Ancient India — Created as a spiritual teaching tool for morality & karma.

Medieval period — Popularized in temples and households as a children’s game.

19th century — British colonists bring it to England, simplifying moral themes.

Modern day — Played worldwide as Snakes and Ladders or Chutes and Ladders.

🧩 How It’s Played

Players roll a dice and move their token forward that many spaces.
If you land at the bottom of a ladder, you climb up.
If you land on the head of a snake, you slide down.
The goal is to reach the final square (Moksha), representing liberation.

🎲 Moksha Patam – The Ancient Snakes & Ladders

📖 Origin & History

💡 Did You Know?

🔁 Evolution

🧩 How It’s Played

🎯 Quick Quiz

What did the ladders in Moksha Patam represent?