Ganjifa cards, once popular among royal families across the country, declined in popularity with the abolition of princely titles. Approximately 350 years ago, after fleeing from the Portuguese regime, the Bhonsale royal family of Goa settled in Sawantwadi, a town in the Konkan belt. They brought with them several artisans well versed in woodcarving and painting, who survived mainly by supplying the royal family with handcrafted items. In the 1960s there were 45 such families practising this art, though today, only six still live in Sawantwadi.

Traditionally, Ganjifa cards are made from circular pieces of paper on which intricate designs from the Dashavatar (the 10 avatars of Lord Vishnu.) are hand-painted. There are ten suits of twelve cards each, housed in a colourful box. Each suit is based on one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The black pigment used on the cards is obtained from soot by burning tin over a kerosene lamp.