India Post debuts circular postcards inspired by Sawantwadi Ganjifa cards

India Post, specifically the Maharashtra Circle, has recently released a unique set of circular postcards featuring the traditional art form of Sawantwadi Ganjifa cards. The postcards showcase the Ganjifa art, a 500-year-old Indian folk art of hand-painted playing cards, specifically featuring the Dashavatara (Ten Avatars of Vishnu) theme.

The circular shape is a nod to the traditional, round design of the original Ganjifa playing cards. This makes them the country's first circular postcards. This release is a collaborative effort with the artisans of the Sawantwadi Palace to champion the revival and safeguarding of this rare and endangered art form.

This release was typically unveiled as a commemorative set during an event like National Postal Week or Philately Day. Since they are based on Dashavatara (The Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu), the number of cards released as a set of 10 Picture Postcards. Each card depicts one of the ten Avatars: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama/Krishna, Buddha and Kalki. The art form itself has several historical variants, which influence the designs on the cards/postcards.

Traditional return

While the India postcards are Sawantwadi style, Dashavatara sets are also prominent in other regions like Odisha (where it's called Ganjapa) and Bishnupur. Traditional set size often comprises 120 cards (12 cards for each of the 10 suits/Avatars). The earliest version of the cars in India are based on the setup of the Mughal court.

The artisans in Sawantwadi, the same community who created the postcard artwork, traditionally produce other variants of the circular cards for games including Bazaar Ganjifa, Darbari Ganjifa reserved for royalty, Navagraha Ganjifa based on the nine planets/deities in Hindu astrology and Animal Ganjifa, which features a diverse array of animal motifs.

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