This is a well known game. His Majesty has made some alterations in the cards. Ancient sages took the number twelve as the basis, and made the suit to consist of twelve cards; but they forgot that the twelve kings should be of twelve different kinds. His Majesty plays with the following suits of cards. 1st, Ashwapati, the lord of horses. The highest card represents a king on horseback, resembling the king of Dihlí, with the umbrella (chatr), the standard ('alam), and other imperial ensigns. The second highest card of the same suit represents a vazír on horseback; and after this card come ten others of the same suit with pictures of horses, from one to ten. 2nd, Gajpati, the king whose power lies in the number of his elephants, as the ruler of Oṛísah. The other eleven cards represent, as before, the vazír, and elephants from ten to one. 3rd, Narpati, a king whose power lies in his infantry, as is the case with the rulers of Bíjápúr. The card represents a king sitting on his throne in imperial splendour; the vazír sits on a foot stool (çandalí), and the ten cards completing this suit have foot soldiers, from one to ten. 4th, Gaḍhpati. The card shews a man sitting on a throne over a fort; the vazír sits on a çandalí over a fort; and the remaining ten cards have forts from one to ten, as before. 5th, Dhanpati, the lord of treasures. The first card of this suit shews a man, sitting on a throne, and gold and silver heaps; the vazír sits upon a çandalí, as if he took account of the Treasury, and the remaining cards shew jaws full of gold and silver, from one to ten. 6th, Dalpati, the hero of battle. The first card of this suit shews a king in armour, sitting on his throne and surrounded by warriors in coats of mail. The vazír sits on a çandalí, and wears a jaibah (breast armour); the ten other cards shew individuals clad in armour. 7th, Nawápati, the lord of the fleet. The card shews a man sitting on a throne in a ship; the vazír sits, as usual, on a çandalí, and the other ten cards have boats from one to ten. 8th, Típati, a queen sitting on the throne, surrounded by her maids. The second card shews a woman as vazír on a çandalí, and the other ten cards have pictures of women, from one to ten. 9th, Surapati, the king of the divinities (deotah), also called Indar, on a throne. The vazír sits on a çandalí, and the ten other cards have pictures of divinities from one to ten. 10th, Asrpati, the lord of genii (deo). The card represents Sulaimán, son of Dáúd, on the throne. The vazír sits on a çandalí, and the other ten cards have genii. 11th, Banpati, the king of wild beasts. The card represents a tiger (sher) with some other animals. The vazír is drawn in the shape of a leopard (palang) and the other ten cards are pictures of wild beasts, as usual from one to ten. 12th, A´hipati, the king of snakes. The first card shews a serpent mounted on a dragon, whilst the vazír is a serpent riding on another serpent of the same kind. The remaining ten cards shew serpents, from one to ten.

The first six of these twelve suits are called bíshbar (powerful), and the six last, kambar (weak).

His Majesty has also made some suitable alterations in the cards. Thus the Dhanpati, or lord of treasures, is represented as a man distributing money. The vazír sits on a çandalí, and inspects the Treasury; but the ten other cards of this suit are representations of the ten classes of work­men employed in the Treasury, viz., the jeweller, the melter, the piece-cutter (muṭallas-sáz), the weighman, the coiner, the muhur counter, the bitikchí (writer) of dhan pieces (vide p. 30, No. 17), the bitikchí of man pieces (vide p. 30, No. 20), the dealer, the qurçgar (vide p. 23, No. 15). His Majesty had also the king of assignments painted on the cards, who inspects farmáns, grants, and the leaves of the daftar (vide p. 260); the vazír sits on a çandalí with the daftar before him; the other cards show officers employed in the Financial Department, as the paper maker, the misṭar maker (vide p. 52, Note 5), the clerk who makes the entries in the Daftar, the illuminator (muçawwir), the naqqásh (who ornaments the pages), the jadwalkash (who draws blue and gold lines on the pages), the farmán writer, the mujallid (bookbinder), the rangrez* (who stains the paper with different colours). The Pádisháh i qimásh also, or king of manufactures, is painted in great state, looking at different things, as Thibetan yaks, silk, silken stuffs. The vazír sits near him on a çandalí, enquiring into former proceedings. The other ten cards represent beasts of burden. Again, the Pádisháh i Chang, or lord of the lyre, is painted sitting on a throne, and listening to music; the vazír sits before him, enquiring into the circumstances of the performers, of whom pictures are given on the remaining cards. Next, the Pádisháh i zar i safíd, or king of silver, who is painted distributing rupees and other silver coins; the vazír sits on a çandalí, and makes enquiries regarding donations. On the other cards, the workmen of the silver mint are depicted, as before those of the gold mint. Then comes the Pádisháh i shamsher, or king of the sword, who is painted trying the steel of a sword. The vazír sits upon a çandalí, and inspects the arsenal; the other cards contain pictures of armourers, polishers, &c. After him comes the Pádisháh i Táj,* or king of the diadem. He confers royal insignia, and the çandalí upon which the vazír sits, is the last of the insignia. The ten other cards contain pictures of workmen, as tailors, quilters, &c. Lastly, the Pádisháh i Ghulámán, or king of the slaves, sits on an elephant, and the vazír on a cart. The other cards are representations of servants, some of whom sit, some lie on the ground in worship, some are drunk, others sober, &c.

Besides these ordinary games of cards, His Majesty also plays chess, four-handed and two-handed. His chief object is to test the value of men, and to establish harmony and good fellow-feeling at Court.