Thread by @8pmGyan

The game #SnakesandLadders had its origin in India and was called Moksha Patam or Parama Padam or Mokshapat. It was used to teach Hinduism and Hindu values to children.

The British copied the idea and renamed it as Snakes and Ladders.

#SnakesandLadders originated in India as a game based on morality called

Vaikuntapaali - stairs to Vaikuntha, or Paramapada Sopanam - ladder to salvation

It was not just a fun game. It was based on the idea of teaching morality to kids. This teaching needs to be reintroduced

The morality lesson of the game -

a person can attain salvation #Moksha through doing good
by doing evil one will inherit rebirth to lower forms of life

In my view it was the easiest way of teaching the rule of salvation

The number of ladders in the original game designed by us was less than the number of snakes.

This was a reminder that a path of good is much more difficult to tread than a path of sins.

The ladders in the game of SnakeAndLadder represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices.

In the original game The Square 100 represented Nirvana or Moksha.

According to Indian #SnakesandLadders game

Squares of virtue are:
Faith
Reliability
Generosity
Knowledge
Asceticism

Squares of vice or evil are:
Disobedience
Vanity
Vulgarity
Theft
Lying
Drunkenness
Debt
Rage
Greed
Pride
Murder
Lust

Square 100 represented #Nirvana or #Moksha

The game of #SnakesandLadders was played with cowrie shells and dices. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications
but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

There are certain references which take the game back to 2nd century BC. However, game in the current form was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev.

British took it to England in 1892 and named it #SnakesandLadders and changed it according to Victorian value.