The oldest known Snakes and Ladders board is probably a forgery

The 1735/36 Jain chart long considered the earliest Snakes and Ladders board is likely a forgery, as its uniform wear suggests artificial aging. Claims of ancient origins—a medieval manuscript, a thirteenth-century saint—lack evidence. The earliest confirmed board dates to 1780–82, and the first written mention to 1831. The game spread rapidly across Indian traditions before reaching England in 1892, a more remarkable story than a slow two-thousand-year drift.