A Glimpse Into Leela’s Rich History
It is not known for certain about the time and place of its origin, but it is based on Vedas – the ancient Indian treatises dating back to about 1500–1200 BCE, and the game boards were found in the different parts of the world as early as the 18th century, so we dare to assume that it is at least few centuries old. The game, also known as “Gyan Chaupar,” was designed not merely for entertainment but for deep self-reflection and education about life’s laws. It has undergone many changes – at different times the game board consisted of a different number of cells (from 72 to 342 cells). Each new generation who mastered this game made their own changes to it: they added new cells, changed their names, rewrote the comments and tried to appropriate them.
The British encounter with the game during their colonial rule of India led to its adaptation. Victorian versions, such as “Snakes and Ladders”, incorporated Christian morality into the squares, losing much of the original’s spiritual essence. However, the heart of Leela remains untouched, continuing to inspire those who seek its wisdom.
The game changed as life itself: as peoples, cultures, eras were changing. In the form which we know it now, we are indebted to the Indian philosopher Harish Johari, who in 1975 published the book "Leela. The game of self-knowledge", rethinking the ancient game in a modern way. And even since then, it has undergone a significant transformation in the names of cells, but its meaning has remained unchanged: knowledge of the laws of life.