Tarot originated in Bharat

A post from the past: 

Tarot originated in Bharat, aka India, thousands of
years ago.  The Roma, aka Gypsy, people brought it to 
the West around 1000 CE. Three excerpts are offered:

Excerpt 1

"Preface to TZIGANE TAROT (Tarot of the Roms)
  By Tchalai
    "[...] We Roms possess Tarots which have come to us
from the 'Chaturangas' that our ancestors the Rajput
Princes had painted on round pieces of mother-of-pearl or
leather. We draw them for one another following our
elaborate and familiar laws which make life so livable.
The present one was made for a brother, or a non-Tzigane
cousin, who humbly wishes to forsake his prejudices and
ready-made ideas (for which he naturally bears no
responsibility), and open his mind to our true story, our
true inner landscape, to our people as a whole. For this
reason, the Tzigane Tarot is termed 'ethnological game'.
[...]
   Source - http://www.romani.org/rtchalai.html 


Excerpt 2

"Roma (Gypsy) Origins & History
     "Because recorded history of the Roma prior to their
first documented appearances in Europe in the early 15th
century is non-existent, there has been much debate as to
their origins and early migration. Based on linguistic
evidence (the similarity of the Romany language to Hindi,
Panjabi, and related languages of Northern India) and
anthropological evidence (body habitus and ABO blood
group distributions closely approximating those of the
warrior classes of northern India)(7), there is now a
clear consensus of opinion that the modern day Roma of
the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas
originated in Northwestern India. There is also a general
consensus regarding the approximate timing of their
emigration, or at least the bulk of it if you believe in
more than one wave of emigration - ie in the 11th
century. [...]" 
   Source - http://www.romani.org/local/romhist.html 


Excerpt 3

"Hindu Timeline
 [...]
1000CE to 1500
     1000 - World population is 265 million. India 
population is 79 million, 29.8% of world. 
     ca 1000 - A few Hindu communities from Rajasthan,
Sindh and other areas, the ancestors of present-day
Romani, or Gypsies, gradually move to Persia and on to
Europe. [...]
     Source - http://www.hinduism-today.com/1994/12/

Jai Maharaj
Jyotishi, Vedic Astrologer
Creator of newsgroups alt.jyotish, alt.language.hindi, alt.religion.hindu
http://www.mantra.com/jyotish
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti