Sagol Kangjei, or Manipuri polo, has been adapted and adopted by the international enthusiasts of the game as polo and now it’s being played worldwide. Today, the world has accepted the fact that the game of polo originated in Manipur.

Sagol Kangjei is played with seven players (in each side) who mount and ride ponies, which are usually 4-5 feet in height. Each player is fitted with a polo stick made of bamboo root. The mounted players gallop after the ball to hit it straight into the goal. Extremely masculine and vigourous, the exhilarating game is now played in two styles – the pana or original Manipur style, and the international style i.e. conventional polo.

It is heart-rending to see Manipuri players in their sixties and even seventies riding ponies at full gallop playing Sagol Kangjei with gusto. The ponies are also decorated fully with various guards of protecting the eyes, forehead, flanks etc.

Britishers learnt the nuances of the game of Sagol Kangjei in the 19th century from Manipur and after clever refinements, the erstwhile indigenous game was renamed polo and is now played in other parts of the globe too.