Polo & More 2014
Going Back in Time
Polo & More 2014
History of Polo in India
Pictures and excerpts of text courtesy of Roli Books from
their book “Polo in India” by Jaisal Singh & Priya Kapoor.
It was in 1854, when the British had established political control over India, that Joseph Shearer, a
young subaltern serving in the Bengal Army, played his first match with the Manipuris at Silchar.
He could not contain his excitement and is believed to have exclaimed: “We must learn this game!”
W
The First Chukker
here exactly polo, as it eventually came to be known
around the world, originated is not entirely clear.
India, Iran, China, Tibet and other Asian countries
take the credit for its origins, and the controversy surrounding
the subject remains unresolved.
India’s claim to be the birthplace of polo is not unfounded
as there is evidence that it has been played in the North for
centuries, in the remote villages of Manipur in Northeast India
where the tribesmen played a sport called pulu (in fact, the
origins of pulu have been traced by some historians to an
equestrian game known as sagol kangje, which was played in
Manipur as early as 3,100 BC). It was here in the late 1800s
that British tea-planters and army officers picked up the sport,
giving it the structure and rules that are followed to this day.
It is generally believed that the game of chaugan was
introduced to India by the Mughals, but this is not at all true; it
was already being played in India during the Sultanate period.
During the the reign of Zahir ud-din Babur (1526–1530),
the first Mughal Emperor, chaugan was established at the
Mughal court. Subsequently his grandson, the greatest of the
Mughals – Jalal ud-din Akbar (1556–1605); by all accounts
an outstanding player, was a great patron of the sport and he
introduced a set of rules in the 1560’s and is also credited with
having invented an illuminated ball, so the sport could be
played at night as well.
The Second Chukker: Rise of the Princely States
In 1897, the Diamond Jubilee year of Queen Victoria’s reign,
the first Indian polo team went abroad to compete in a
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tournament. They were led by one of India’s most colourful
personalities, the swashbuckling soldier-prince, Sir Pratap
Singh of Jodhpur. Sir P, as he is still fondly referred to, was the
second son of Maharaja Takhat Singh of Jodhpur and Regent
for three successive rulers of Jodhpur and Maharaja of Idar in
later years. The grand old man of Indian polo, was the captain
of the Jodhpur team that won its first trophy, the Rajputana
Challenge Cup of 1893, and also raised and trained an elite
Cavalry Regiment, the Jodhpur Sardar Risala, better known as
the Jodhpur Lancers.
The Jodhpur team had a successful tour of England in 1897,
winning a number of tournaments; including the Roehampton
and Champions Cups. This was the beginning of the golden era
of the princely Indian states and their dashing teams. Sir Pratap
Singh, who was representing his brother, Maharaja of Jodhpur,
Jaswant Singh II, at the Jubilee Celebrations, took along his
team which consisted of the legendary Dhonkal Singh, Harji
(Thakur Hari Singh, renowned for his horsemanship) and
Colonel Stuart Beatson.
This was also when ‘Jodhpur’ breeches were introduced to
England – completely by accident. Sir Pratap had designed
special riding trousers for the Jodhpur Lancers, which were
baggy up to the knee, and skin-tight from knee to ankle.
When the ship carrying his luggage sunk en-route to England,
a number of high society ladies in London offered to have
clothes stitched for him. As he had made Jodhpurs an essential
part of his wardrobe, it was imperative that they were made too.
After many attempts, a tailor in the service of Lady Rosebery
ABOVE: Polo in Jodhpur with the Ratanada Palace as backdrop.
The Palace boasted of its own polo fields, race track and stabling
for a couple of hundred horses
(wife of the Earl of Rosebery, Prime Minister
of England in 1894–95) managed to get
them right, and they went on to become very
popular in London and subsequently, around
the world.
By this time a very high level of competitive
polo was being played in India. Alwar,
Ratlam, Bhopal, Golconda, Kishengarh,
Bikaner, all fielded first rate teams, as did the
British Army and Royal Navy. The princes
of India took the sport extremely seriously, and spent vast
amounts of time and money on it, making winning or losing
an issue staking the prestige of their states.
The team of the Maharaja of Patiala, consisting of Hira
Singh (considered by some to have been head and shoulders
above the rest), Chanda Singh, and the legendary brothers,
Jaswant and Joginder Singh