Vishnu’s Game

Meet the last artist in the line of the family that has been making Dashavatar cards since the 16th century.

Ranjit pass his off time with Dashabatar on the rof of his house. Photo- Ashok Nath Dey.

This pack generally consists of 120 Taas. The name of the suits of this Dashabatar are respectively Matsya ( Fish ), Kurma ( Turtle ), Baraha ( Boar ), Nrisingha (A combination of man and lion together), Baman ( Brahmin dwarf ), Parasuram ( The six incarnation with axe ), Sri Ram ( The hero of Ramayana ), Balaram ( Brother of lord Sri Krishna), Buddha ( The ninth incarnation with absolute peace ) and Kalki ( The abatar yet to come).

Sital making tass. Dashabatar Taas are made from old cotton cloth pieces pasting one piece on another by tamarind glue. Totally hand made item. Photo- Ashok Nath Dey.

The only wall of the palace is the witnessed , rise of a glorious tradition of art, & culture since the 700 A. D under the patronage of the Malla Kings in Bishnupur, West Bengal, India. The tradition reached its zenith during the reign ( 1565 1620 A.D ) of king Veer Hambir,. The game of DASHABATAR TASS ( Card ) started from this Palace. Photo- Ashok Nath Dey.

GonTheCards_AND_16 In AD 1694 this Madan Mohan ( Lord Krishna ) temple built by the Malla King DURJAN SINGH. This is one of the best and main terracotta temple in Bishnupur. Photo- Ashok Nath Dey.

Outside view of the palace in Bishnupur town. Still some part of the palace is their, this is the main gate of the entry point of the palace.Photo- Ashok Nath Dey.

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A wall of the house of Sital Fouzdar, who make it. Sital display some tass on the wall if any byers come then they can see the sample. In Indian currency Rupees five thousand to eight thousand ( 90 USD 125 USD) for show case pieces, for playing purpose Rupees ten thousand to fifteen thousand ( 180 USD 210 USD ). Photo- Ashok Nath Dey.