108 squares Hindu board from “Illustrated Marathi Games” by A. B. Deodhar. Bombay (1905).

Thanks to Jacob Schmidt-Madsen and his blog http://gyanchaupar.wordpress.com/now I found some link to origin of Snakes and Ladders game board known in Russia from the 1970s and first published in Russia in 2000 by Alexander Zaraev, who wrote commentary for this game and published it together with the board. In private talk with Zaraev he mentioned to me the name of Russian indologist Alexander Mikirtumov, who in turn had found a book of “Illustrated Marathi Games” by A. B. Deodhar, Bombay (1905) in Moscow or Saint-Peterburg library. He translated meanings of the squares to Russian and spread hand-written game board between friends who belonged to mostly to Russian Esoteric underground in Moscow.

But some ladders on Deodhar game differ from Zaraev’s board and on the lower leftpart in Deodhar’s game we can see an extra square. So the source of Zaraev’s board is still unclear.

Jacob said that A.B.Deodhar in his book names another book as the source of that particular version of the game–”Maraathii Khelaanchen Pustaka”. That book was written by Ananta Baabaajii Devadhara and published respectively in 1834 and 1896.

Another spelling –Maraat’hii Khelaan’che Pustaka. by Anan’ta Baabaajii Devadhara. 1834 or 1896. Marathi. Literature. 390 pgs.