The Ancient Game of Virtue & Vice · climb ladders, dodge snakes
Also known as: Moksha Patam, Vaikuntapali, Paramapadam, Gyan Chaupar, Saanp-Seedhi
One of the world's oldest board games, Snakes & Ladders began in ancient India as Moksha Patam — a game of morality where ladders were virtues lifting you toward liberation and snakes were vices dragging you back. Known regionally as Vaikuntapali in Telugu, Paramapadam in Tamil, and Saanp-Seedhi in Hindi, it spread across the globe in the 19th century. Roll the dice, ride the ladders, dodge the snakes, and race to square 100.
How to Play
On your turn, roll the dice and move your token forward that many squares
Land on a ladder's foot and climb straight to its top
Land on a snake's head and slide all the way down to its tail
Roll a 6 and you get another turn
Land exactly on 100 to win — overshoot and you bounce back
History
Snakes & Ladders began in ancient India as Moksha Patam, or Gyan Chaupar — "the game of knowledge" — a lesson in morality rather than mere luck. Some scholars trace it to Dnyaneshwar, a 13th-century Marathi saint, though surviving boards (cloth or paper, so rarely older than the 18th century) come from Hindu, Jain and Sufi traditions alike. Ladders stood for virtues that lifted the player toward liberation (moksha), and snakes for vices that dragged them back down.
The London toymaker Frederick Henry Ayres patented an English edition in 1892, renaming the vices and virtues to suit Victorian taste; in 1943, Milton Bradley published the American version as Chutes and Ladders, stripped of its religious symbolism entirely. It remains known by its original regional names across India — Vaikuntapali in Telugu, Paramapadam in Tamil — and by local names elsewhere, from Golok Dham in Bengal to Sa Nam Lam Sha in Tibet.
Strategy
Snakes & Ladders is a pure game of chance — there is no move to choose, so no legitimate strategy can change your odds. That is by design.
The original point was moral instruction, not competition: the board taught that virtues (ladders) raise you and vices (snakes) set you back.
It is a wonderful first board game for young children — it teaches number recognition, counting, and taking turns without needing any tactics.
The only real "rule of thumb" is patience: because you must land on 100 exactly, overshooting bounces you back, so the last few squares can take a while.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you play Snakes & Ladders?
Players take turns rolling a die and moving that many squares along a numbered board. Land on the foot of a ladder to climb up, land on a snake's head to slide down, and race to be the first to reach square 100.
Is there any strategy to Snakes & Ladders?
No — it is a game of pure chance. Every move is decided entirely by the dice, with no choices to make. That is intentional: the original game was about fate and morality, not tactics.
What is the origin of Snakes & Ladders?
It originated in ancient India as Moksha Patam or Gyan Chaupar, a game of virtue and vice, and was later adapted in Britain and the United States, where it is sold as Chutes and Ladders.
What do the snakes and ladders represent?
In the original Indian game, ladders represented virtues that carried the player upward toward spiritual liberation, and snakes represented vices that sent them back down.
How do you win Snakes & Ladders?
You win by being the first to land exactly on square 100. If your roll would take you past 100, you "bounce" back the extra squares and must try again next turn.
What is Snakes & Ladders called in India?
It is known as Moksha Patam, Gyan Chaupar, Vaikuntapali (Telugu), and Paramapadam (Tamil).