Turning back time to learn about royal games
While many of us think of games as something limited to two or four people around the table in a family, in ancient times, games had far wider connotations, not just in India.
For example, in Greek and Roman traditions, funerary games were competitions held in honour of the deceased person, often a hero or a noble figure, as part of their funeral rites. This is graphically described in Homer's Iliad, when Achilles organised elaborate games to honour his fallen friend, Patroclus. The purpose of these games was to pay tribute to the dead, to appease the gods as the games were seen as offerings, and of course, to display wealth and power.
Closer to home, in India, games were very much a part of the Rajasuya ceremonies. The Rajasuya ceremony was one of the most prestigious and elaborate royal rituals in ancient times. It was a consecration ceremony performed by the king to assert his sovereignty. The purpose of the Rajasuya was to legitimise the king's rule through divine sanction and assert his supremacy over other kings who were invited to attend and who offered tribute. It helped to unify the realm under a single authority.
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