Snakes and Ladders

The history of snakes and ladders can be traced back to ancient India, where it was known as Mokshapat or Moksha Patamu. The game is thought to have been played as early as the second century B.C.

The game functioned as a moral guide for children: the squares that included ladders represented virtues, while the squares that featured snakes represented evils. Progression up the board represented a life journey. Ladders symbolised good deeds like kindness, faith and humility, while snakes stood for bad deeds like anger, murder and theft. 

The game carried a moral message: that salvation is attainable through righteous deeds, while evil deeds lead to rebirth in lower forms of life. 

In the original Hindu game, snakes outnumbered ladders, signifying that a moral path is more difficult to traverse than a life of bad deeds.

In the latter part of the 19th century, colonial rulers transported a modified version of the game to England. Indian vices and virtues were adapted to reflect Victorian notions of morality. 

Ladders of thrift, penitence and industry led to squares of fulfilment, grace and success, while illness, disgrace and poverty were found at the bottom of snakes on indulgence, disobedience and insolence. 

The English version featured an equal number of snakes and ladders, symbolising the idea that for each sin, there exists an opportunity for redemption. Eventually, the game was stripped of its moral and religious undertones.