Although most people have heard of Polo, a horseback-set-up group game, not many of us know that the sport’s modern shape was born in the Northeast Indian kingdom of Manipur. It developed from a traditional Manipuri game called the “Sagol Kangjei”, played on Manipuri polo ponies using barefoot riders. Unfortunately, the ponies of the arena’s unique polo pony breed are dying fast. World Atlas investigates this pony’s cutting-edge fame in this text by journeying to the world’s oldest polo ground, the Imphal Polo Ground in Imphal, Manipur.
As we entered the Imphal Polo Ground spectator gallery, where a polo game was being performed, we watched the spectators around the stadium cheering in a chin or their favorite team. At the alternative give up of the floor, three billboards were visible. One described the venue as “Imphal Polo Ground (Mapal Kangjeibung), the oldest polo floor in the international.” Another billboard was created using the All Manipur Polo Association (AMPA) study “Save Pony Save Polo Save Pologround.” A third one defined the match-taking area at that time.
It became the second billboard that grabbed our attention. It became an instant enchantment to the public to save the polo pony. So, who’s this pony, and why does it want to be kept? To understand that, it is crucial to delve into the history of the sport of Polo.
Manipur, The Birthplace Of Modern Polo
As we understand, Polo originates in the Manipuri sport of Sagol Kangjei. According to a Manipuri legend, the competition has divine origins. The deity king of Manipur, Kangba, is credited with its invention in the 14th century BC. The first prepared Sagol Kangjei match was held in 33 AD beneath every other Manipuri king, Nongda Pakhangba. For centuries, the game remained an integral part of Manipuri culture. Little changed in the acknowledged outdoors of Manipur till the British came to study it with the aid of risk.
The British discovered Sagol Kangjei in the nineteenth century when they were taken off to watch exiled Manipuri princes play the sport in Silchar on Gift Day in Assam, India. Wearing turbans and dhotis and with mallets of their palms, these guys rode small, sturdy ponies and performed a sport regarded as “hockey on horseback.” The game fascinated the British.
In 1853, a member of the East Indian cavalry named Capt. Robert Stewart discovered the sport and participated in a fit with the Manipuris. He fell so in love with the game that, with the assistance of other Britishers, he set up the sector’s first polo club in India in 1859. It was changed into the Silchar Kangjei Club. Soon after that, the sport reached England. In 1869, the original polo suit of England was held at Hounslow Heath in London. The relaxation is history. Polo is now played in approximately 70 countries around the sector.
The Manipuri Polo Pony-“The Pride Of Manipur”
Traditionally, the Sagol Kangjei was performed on the lower back of the Manipuri pony, a special breed of pony that Manipuris used because of historical instances for rituals, wars, and sports activities; however, it never as workhorses. Professionals have a lot of confrontations concerning the foundation of these ponies. Some declare that Tibetan ponies were their ancestors, while others point out that the breed was created by crossing the Mongolian wild horse with the Arabian horse.
Whatever the foundation, the Manipuri ponies became entrenched in the Manipuri subculture. They were revered like gods by the human beings of the kingdom. There is even a temple in Manipur, the Marjing temple. The primary deity, Iboudhou Marjing, or the god of horses, is visible, sitting on the pinnacle of a winged pony. The Manipuri ponies are believed to be the descendants of this divine pony.
When the British came to understand the Sagol Kangjei, they noticed the remarkable capability of the Manipuri ponies that were used to play the sport. They liked the ponies for their stamina and speed.
With the developing popularity of Polo in England in the late 19th century, polo ponies were exported in huge numbers. The British experimented with the ponies and created several new breeds. They also used these ponies to move their troops into Burma during the Second World War. Between 1859 and 1916, Manipur became tired of its ponies, and at one point, the export had to be banned to allow the breed to recover its populace.
The Dying Ponies Of Manipur
While the sector got the polo game, Manipur became on the verge of losing its polo ponies. Since the mass export of the ponies decreased their populace significantly throughout the British Raj, years of tumultuous political adjustments in Manipur after independence further threatened their survival. For an extended period, the ponies and Polo have been nearly forgotten because the people of Manipur have been engaged in combating many evils like inter-ethnic violence and insurgencies that plagued the nation.
Today, even after the healing of peace in Manipur, the polo ponies continue to acquire little attention. Only two international polo tournaments are held in Manipur every year, and there are 15 polo clubs inside the nation, down from 60 and beyond. As a result, the demand for polo ponies has additionally declined. They seem to have lost their social value.
Another significant hazard to the survival of those animals is the lack of proper grazing grounds, an immediate result of urbanization in Manipur. The ponies regularly feed on garbage along roadsides without sufficient meal resources and secure refuges. Their new food plan is unhealthy and dangerous, resulting in multiple sicknesses in some of the population. The ponies are also pretty vulnerable to avenge injuries. In 2017 alone, 30 younger colts died because of these reasons.
According to the Quinquennial Livestock Census of India, the Manipuri polo pony populace became most effective at 1,011 in 2012, down from 1,898 ponies in 2003.
An Animal That Deserves Global Attention
Although it appears that there’s no desire left for these animals, now not all people have forgotten them. Certain organizations in Manipur are striving to shield the country’s rich heritage. The Manipuri Pony Society (MPS) and the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association (MHRPA) preserve the sport of Polo and its unique pony alive. The MPS has installed a breeding center for these ponies. There are about 100 ponies within the center. The MHRPA has been busy carrying out country-level Polo matches since its establishment in 1977. ALadiesManipur are also allowed to take part in a game traditionally ruled by men every day because the MHRPA organizes a global women’s polo event every year.
The Manipur tourism branch also promotes Sagol kanji once a year. The Sangai festival is held in the state every November. The pageant aims to save the Sangai, another threatened animal in the country with whom the Manipuris have a unique bond.
The country authorities of Manipur additionally devised a policy referred to as the Manipuri Pony Conservation and Development Policy in 2016 to ensure the survival of polo ponies. Plans are being made to set up a sanctuary for these animals; however, investment is scarce.
In this case, we should consider that saving the polo ponies of Manipur is ready to save the heritage of the polo game and that its loss would be a loss for the game and all of the international locations that play the sport. Indeed, the slogan “Save Pony Save Polo” on the hoarding of the Imphal Polo Ground couldn’t be greater right.
