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Games and amusements
203
the game appears to be modern gillidandā. The word giri directly corresponds to the word gilli and many people are seen having lost their eyes with gilli. So the game appears to be gillidaņņā and not the Hockey and Ball. The word Sankulā may be interpreted as hockey as Dr. A.K. Majumdar has done'. Ball-game is also mentioned (VIII 43).
Catching of elephants : It was another amusement. Elephants were caught from the Vindhya mountain (VI.17).
Ox-contest : It is called Vrşabha-tulanā (1.61). It is possible that the fight of the oxen would have been organized (I. 61).
Wrestling : It is an important game (VII1,14; 1X-88). Wrestling was prevalent amongst kings also (XI.47)
Gambling : It had become an important game in the time of Hemacandra. It was not only a royal game but even the wife and the husband played it in the house (XVII.12). It was played by dices called Akşa or glaba (XVII.4). Abhayatilakagani has mentioned a board (dyūtaphalaka) on which the dices were thrown. The fate of the gambler depended on the throw of the glaha. It was played by small-sicks (salākā) also. The game is called Pañcikā became it is played by five salākas. If all these pañcikās fall upwards or downwards, the player wins. Otherwise there is a defeat. It has been explained by Abhayatilakagaại. (V.39). On the explanation of the words Ekapari and Dvipari (V.39), Abhayatilakagaại has further clarified that a piece of salākā was cut into two pieces. The game was either played by salākas or by akşas
It appears that the attitude towards gambling was not appreciable. So the kings also avoided this game (VI.15).
1. Majumdar, A.K, op. cit., p.3.9.
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