Bharata Major Arcana Tarot

Published February 09, 2018 Updated August 23, 2023

Bharata Major Arcana Tarot inspired by Indian art forms by Ishan Trivedi & Sunish Chabba, 2018.

2018 India Ishan Trivedi Sunish Chabba Folklore Kickstarter Tarot
Bharata Major Arcana Tarot by Guru Playing Card Company, 2018

Above: Bharata Major Arcana Tarot by Ishan Trivedi & Sunish Chabba, Guru Playing Card Company, 2018. 26 Poker size cards (63 X 88mm; 22 Major Arcana + 4 extra cards), gilded edges with an antique look, printed in China. The names of backers who supported the project on Kickstarter are mentioned in the accompanying booklet. In the back design and box elements of Indian Rajputana painting and architecture have been used. Some symbols have been picked from Indian folk arts.

The illustrations are based on traditional Indian folk art forms, Kishangarh style & miniature paintings. Apart from the classic tarot meanings, symbolism found in folk art has also been used. The trump sequence is based on Rider-Waite. Each card is hand-drawn and then finished digitally. The illustrator Ishan Trivedi’s work has been appreciated by both Indian & foreign publishers.

hand-drawn illustration for Bharata Major Arcana Tarot Bharata Major Arcana Tarot by Guru Playing Card Company, 2018

Above: the Tower represents sudden change, destruction and revelation. The Fool represents new beginnings, innocence and a free spirit. The Lovers card is inspired from Bani Thani, a 17th century painting by Nihâl Chand (1710-1782), chief court painter to King Savant Singh.

Bharata Major Arcana Tarot by Guru Playing Card Company, 2018

Above: some sources of inspiration.

REFERENCES

Guru Playing Card Company

avatar
1,481 Articles

By Simon Wintle

Member since February 01, 1996

I am the founder of The World of Playing Cards (est. 1996), a website dedicated to the history, artistry and cultural significance of playing cards and tarot. Over the years I have researched various areas of the subject, acquired and traded collections and contributed as a committee member of the IPCS and graphics editor of The Playing-Card journal. Having lived in Chile, England, Wales, and now Spain, these experiences have shaped my work and passion for playing cards. Amongst my achievements is producing a limited-edition replica of a 17th-century English pack using woodblocks and stencils—a labour of love. Today, the World of Playing Cards is a global collaborative project, with my son Adam serving as the technical driving force behind its development. His innovative efforts have helped shape the site into the thriving hub it is today. You are warmly invited to become a contributor and share your enthusiasm.

Related Articles

2005 Tarot de las Coscojas

Tarot de las Coscojas

Historical playing card design, tarot symbolism and an almost psychedelic medieval surrealism.

1980 Tarot de Valverde de la Vera

Tarot de Valverde de la Vera

A series of 24 surrealist engravings by Mexican artist Claudio Favier in which archetypal Tarot alle...

1914 Austrian Tarock by S.D. Modiano

Austrian Tarock by S.D. Modiano

Modiano’s Austrian Tarock with country scenes has been in production for over 100 years.

1989 22 Pittori in 22 Arcani

22 Pittori in 22 Arcani

Collaborative Tarot with contributions from 22 different Italian artists including Menegazzi and Tav...

1993 Kazakh Tales

Kazakh Tales

Bold designs by K.K. Karpun and S. Nukenov inspired by Kazakh folk tales.

1910 Tarock Cards by NIL Spielkartenfabrik

Tarock Cards by NIL Spielkartenfabrik

A deck of tarock cards from the eastern end of the ending Austro-Hungarian Empire.

2019 Justice playing cards

Justice playing cards

Ethical concepts in a deck produced by Riccardo Conturbia’s Passione Playing Cards Ltd.

1897 Tarot hiéroglyphique égyptien

Tarot hiéroglyphique égyptien

The design of the cards draws inspiration from various religious and philosophical traditions merged...

2021 Egyptium

Egyptium

“Egyptium” is a hand-illustrated deck of fantasy playing cards with artwork by Russian artist Oleg S...

1981 Alan Tarot Deck

Alan Tarot Deck

Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company....

1975 Tarot Baraja Egipcia

Tarot Baraja Egipcia

Curious Tarot with Egyptian-style trumps issued by Franco Mora Ruiz from Mexico.

2021 Le Tarot de Sète

Le Tarot de Sète

Reinterpretation of the Tarot de Marseille by Julien Labat, an artist from Sète.

1990 Tarot Philatélique

Tarot Philatélique

Tarot game pack with French postage stamps on all the courts, aces and trumps.

1991 Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo

Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo

Imaginative Tarot card designs by Amerigo Folchi relating to Columbus and the New World.

1992 22 Artisti Liguri in 22 Arcani

22 Artisti Liguri in 22 Arcani

Collaborative set of major arcana devoted to Christopher Columbus and his voyages of discovery.

1975 The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot

The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot

Marty Yeager’s original Tarot of Meditation from 1975, republished later by U.S. Games Systems, Inc....