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Sports

From Silchar to the World: How Polo Was Born, Lost in Assam, and Found Its Revival Again

It was during the British colonial era in Assam’s Silchar that the game of polo, today a sport of royalty and elites, was initially formalised and spread to the world.

  • Siddharth Deb

Siddharth Deb

From Silchar to the World: How Polo Was Born, Lost in Assam, and Found Its Revival Again

Sitting down on a relaxing afternoon in Silchar today, it is hard to imagine that these plains and the green fields had once resonated with the thundering hooves and the sharp crack of polo mallets striking a wooden ball.

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This is the almost forgotten story of the origin of the game of polo. Though Barak Valley town is now better known for tea, trade, and higher education, it still occupies a unique but largely forgotten place in the global sporting history across the world.

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It was during the British colonial era in Assam’s Silchar that the game of polo, today a sport of royalty and elites, was initially formalised and spread to the world. However, the game slowly faded into obscurity at the same place where it had once originated.
Polo was introduced to the West by Captain Robert Stewart and Major General Joe Sherer, who derived the game from Manipur, India, where the game was known as 'Sagol Kangjei,' 'Kanjai-bazee,' or 'Pulu.'

It was the anglicised form of the 'Pulu,' referring to the wooden ball that was used, which was adopted by the sport in its slow spread to the West. The oldest polo ground in the world is the Imphal Polo Ground in Manipur.
The story of polo in the state is not merely about the sport but about the factors associated with it, like cultural exchange, colonial appropriation, and mostly neglect after Independence. But primarily, it is about the possibility of revival, which is best possible through regional cooperation and particularly with neighbouring Manipur, as it kept the ancient spirit of this robust game alive against all odds.
A Game That is Historically Older than The Empire
The fundamental game of polo had already existed in the hills and valleys of Manipur long before the British officers set foot in the state. Locally known as sagol kangjei (literally ‘horse-stick’), the game was played by Manipuri warriors as early as the first millennium, primarily as an equestrian practice during peacetime for the cavalry so that their horsemanship skills could remain sharp and up to the mark. It was fast, physical, and ritualistic, combining horsemanship, combat training, and sport. The polo ponies were small in height, having tough endurance and agility, and bred specifically for long hauls and maneuverability.
In the mid-19th century, when British tea planters and officers just set foot in the lands of the state and adjoining Manipur, they were mesmerised by the spectacle of the game. Unlike the leisurely equestrian pursuits of Europe, sagol kangjei was raw and thrilling, filled to the brim with an adrenaline rush. Realising the game’s appeal and potential, British officers adapted the modern rules, standardised the equipment necessary for the game and the safety of the players, and reshaped it into the modern polo in order to suit colonial clubs.

 

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THE HISTORY OF POLO IN SILCHAR AT CACHAR CLUB

 

The defining moment came in the year 1859 when the ‘Silchar Polo Club’ was established. It is widely acknowledged as the first modern polo club in the world and was the result of the enthusiastic efforts of the British officers and tea planters. From Silchar, the sport travelled to Calcutta, then to England, and eventually across the British Empire. What began as a local indigenous game thus became an international sport while its humble origins quietly receded into footnotes.
The Golden Years of Polo in Silchar
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, polo thrived in Silchar. Matches were social events attended by planters, administrators, and local elites. Polo grounds became symbols of colonial prestige, and Silchar enjoyed a reputation as a sporting centre far beyond the state.
Yet even during its peak, polo in Silchar remained majorly dependent on colonial patronage. It was sustained by clubs, officers, and estates and not by grassroots participation. This dependence on the privileged class would later prove fatal.
After the British Left
In the year 1947, when India attained independence, the British departed, and with them exited the institutional backbone of polo in the state. Polo grounds were repurposed or neglected, clubs lost relevance, and equestrian sport became financially unviable for most Indians.
Games like cricket, football, and athletics, which were cheaper and more accessible to the common people across social strata, captured the public imagination. Polo, mainly associated with colonial privilege and high costs, gradually slipped into silence. In Silchar, the memory of polo survived only in archives, occasional commemorative matches, and fading plaques. What was once a living tradition had now become a historical curiosity.
Manipur: The Keeper of the Flame
While we forgot, Manipur remembered its value. Unlike Silchar’s club-based polo, sagol kangjei in Manipur remained deeply embedded in community life and Manipuri culture. Villages in Manipur continued to play the game during festivals and ceremonies. Polo was not just a sport for them; it was an identity.

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The All Manipur Polo Association ensured continuity through regular tournaments, including women’s polo, making Manipur one of the few places in the world where the sport retained its indigenous character. Even as modern polo evolved elsewhere, Manipur preserved its traditional rules, equipment, and ethos.
Yet Manipur’s polo culture has survived despite any state support. The indigenous Manipuri pony, which is essential to the game, is now considered to be in the endangered category. Rapid urbanisation, shrinking grazing lands, and an absence of conservation policies have pushed the polo pony to the brink. The survival of polo in Manipur is itself a quiet act of resistance and clinging to traditions and history.
Why Revival Matters for Assam
Reviving the game of polo in Assam is not only about nostalgia alone. It is also about reclaiming the lost cultural ownership of a magnificent sport that originated in the state but was exported without the state getting credit for it. It is also about diversifying the state’s sporting ecosystem and promoting heritage tourism.
Silchar’s claim to polo history is globally significant. Few places can say they hosted the world’s first modern polo club. Yet without active revival, this legacy risks being erased.
A Roadmap to Revival of Polo in Assam
The revival of polo in Assam is neither impossible nor impractical, but it definitely requires vision.
First, collaboration with Manipur is essential for its survival. Assam does not need to reinvent polo; it simply needs to relearn it. Training exchanges, joint tournaments, and mentorship by Manipuri players can reintroduce authentic polo back to the Barak Valley.
Second, significant steps have to be taken in order to identify, restore, and protect historic polo grounds in Silchar. Even partial restoration, combined with heritage markers, can turn these places into living museums. Organising annual polo festivals could draw potential tourists, scholars, and players from across the country and abroad.
Third, priority towards the conservation of the Manipuri pony must be put at the top. We can partner with Manipur in breeding and protection programmes, ensuring that the sport’s ecological foundation survives.
Fourth, the active engagement of the youth is crucial. The introduction of polo or simplified equestrian sports in schools and colleges around Silchar and Assam can cultivate long-lasting interest. Without young players, the revival efforts will remain purely symbolic, thus again losing their significance within a few years.
Finally, the narrative regarding the sport has to be completely changed. Polo should not be presented as an elite colonial sport but as a Northeast Indian contribution to world culture, which is deeply rooted in the indigenous knowledge and regional history of the area.

 

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A TRADITIONAL 'SAGOL KANGJEI' PLAYER FROM MANIPUR

 

A Shared Heritage Waiting to Be Reclaimed
Polo’s journey from the fields of Manipur to Silchar’s colonial clubs, and then gradually to global arenas, is a pointer towards the broader picture of the North-East that is abundantly rich in culture but often overlooked and frequently appropriated. Assam lost polo not because it lacked history, but because it lacked continuity. However, Manipur managed to retain it because the game of polo belonged to the common people and not elite institutions.

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If Assam coordinates with Manipur in matters of the game, honours the indigenous roots, and invests in the game’s cultural revival in the state, polo could undoubtedly once again find its rhythm and action on the empty fields of Silchar once again. Not just as a relic of the British Empire, but as a reclaimed legacy of the valiant game.
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