Pune: 41 Different Sized Ancient Board Games Carved On Rocks Found On Near Hinjawadi
Pune, 26th February 2022: Board games carved on rocks for recreation in ancient times have been found on the hilss at Marunji near Hinjawadi. Sojwal Sali and Rishi Rane have found 41 different-sized games. The exact period of these games will be traced after further study.
In the last few years, researchers have discovered many carvings carved on the Konkan rock. The carvings depict various animal figures and symbols. In the same way, ancient caves are found on the rocks in the vicinity of the caves.
In the past, boared games have been found in Pataleshwar temple, Bhaje caves, and forts like Sinhagad, Rajgad, Shivneri also in Junnar tehsil. Sojwal Sali from Nashik and Rishi Rane from Mumbai, who are studying such carvings through the Vaibhavshali Prachin Lipi trust, have brought to light the carvings on the hill at Marunji near Hinjawadi.
Marunji Hill can be reached from Kalukai Mata Mandir in Phase 2 of Hinjewadi IT Park.
Speaking about the games found at Marunji, Sali said, “In ancient times, monks, travelers, and traders used to stay in the hills, in temples. So the rocks may have been carved for recreation during the stay. The game that was prevalent in the country at that time can be seen carved on the rocks. These games are also mentioned in mythological and Buddhist texts. Games like tiger-goat are still played in these games. We received the information about the carvings from Adv Maruti Gole. After that, we visited this place and studied about it, a total of 41 games were found. This is the first time that such a large number of such games have been found in one place near Pune. But this place and these games need to be studied more now; this place needs to be preserved.”
A six-foot game
“Rock carvings have different shapes. Generally, games are one to two feet long. However, one of these 41 games appears to be six feet long and six feet wide. Never before has such a big game been found. Attempts are being made to research the games”, Sali said.
