﻿l60 ON THE INDIAN 



commonly played in Europe and Asia, convince me 

 that it was invented by one effort of some great ge- 

 nius; not completed by gradual improvements, but 

 foFmed, to use the phrase of Italian critics, by the 

 first Intention ; yet of this simple game, so exquisitely 

 contrived, and so certainly invented in India, I cannot 

 find any account in the classical writings of the Brah- 

 mans. It is, indeed, confidently asserted, that Sans- 

 crit books on Chess exist in this country; and, if they 

 can be procured at Banares, they will assuredly be 

 sent to us. At present 1 can only exhibit a descrip- 

 tion of a very ancient Indian game of the same kind ; 

 but more complex, and, in my opinion, more modern 

 than the simple Chess of the Persians. This game 

 is also called Chaturanga, but more frequently Cha- 

 turaji, or the four Kings, since it is played by four 

 persons representing as many princes, two allied ar- 

 mies combating on each side. The description is taken 

 from the BJiaivishva Puran, in which YudhisMhir is 

 represented conversing with Vyasa, who explains at 

 the king's request the form of the fictitious warfare 

 and the principal rules of it. " Having marked eight 

 " squares on all sides," says the sage, " place the red 

 " army to the east, the green to the south, the yellow 

 " to the west, and the black to the north : let the 

 u elephant stand on the left of the king; next to him, 

 * £ the horfe ; then the boat ; and, before them all, 

 "'four foot -jbldiers ; but the boat must be placed in 

 " the angh of the board." From this passage it 

 clearly appears, that an army, with its four ungas, 

 must be placed on each side of the board, since an 

 elephant could not stand in any other position on the 

 left hand of each king.; and Radhacant informed me, 

 that the board consisted, like ours, of sixty-four 

 squares, half of them occupied by the forces, and 

 half vacant. He added, that this game is mentioned 

 in the oldest law-books, and that it was invented by the 

 wife of ILivan, king of Lama, in order to amuse him 



