Sital Fouzdar is the last artist in the line of the family that has been making the famous Dashavatar cards of Bishnupur

Published : Dec 14, 2022 18:04 IST The legend goes that the 16th century Malla king Bir Hambir, who ruled over Mallabhum, which chiefly covers West Bengal’s Bankura district today, was a great friend of the Mughal emperor Akbar. According to another story, Bir Hambir invented the Dashavatar cards so that he could have bloodless entertainment. Sital Fouzdar says that the next generation is not interested in the cards and he might well be the last person in the family who knows how to make them. Karmakar says that he learnt the game 24 years ago from a player who had learnt it from a family member of the “last king”.