Polo in India: The Maharajas' Sport and Modern Scene

Polo was born in Central Asia, but it was India — specifically the northeastern kingdom of Manipur — where the modern game took shape. British army officers encountered polo in Manipur in the 1850s, codified the rules, and spread the game across the Empire. But India was not merely a conduit; it was a passionate polo nation in its own right, and remains so today.

India's Polo History — From Manipur to the Maharajas

The Meitei people of Manipur played **sagol kangjei** — the direct ancestor of polo — for at least a millennium before British arrival. The sport spread westward through India under royal patronage, and the great Maharajas of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Hyderabad became among the world's most enthusiastic polo patrons.

**Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II of Jaipur** — a 9-[goal](/glossary/goal) player — was perhaps the sport's greatest royal patron of the 20th century. He assembled extraordinary strings of Argentine and English horses, competed internationally, and established the **Jaipur Polo Club** as one of Asia's finest venues. His Jaipur team defeated England in the 1930s, a historic achievement.

**Rao Raja Hanut Singh** (9-goal) played internationally and helped preserve Indian polo's traditions through the post-Independence transition, when royal patronage was replaced by the Indian Army and wealthy civilian patrons.

India's Modern Polo Season

The Indian polo season runs primarily from **October through March** — the winter months when conditions on the subcontinent are most comfortable for horses and players alike. The key venues are:

**Delhi**: The **61 Cavalry** and **Polo Club Delhi** are the nerve centres of Indian polo. Delhi hosts several major tournaments including the **Indian Army Polo Championship** and the **President's Cup**.

**Jaipur**: The **Rajasthan Polo Club** (formerly Jaipur Polo Club) is India's most atmospheric venue — set against the backdrop of the Aravalli Hills, with an evocative connection to Maharajas-era polo. The **Jaipur Polo Season** runs October–March.

**Kolkata**: The **Royal Calcutta Turf Club** and associated polo venues recall polo's colonial-era heartland. Kolkata's polo history stretches back to the 1860s.

**Mumbai**: A smaller but active scene, with polo played at the RWITC (Royal Western India Turf Club) facilities.

The Indian Army — The Backbone of Modern Indian Polo

Unlike most countries where polo is driven by wealthy civilian patrons, India's polo is sustained principally by the **Indian Army**. Army teams — the 61 Cavalry (the last horse-mounted cavalry regiment in the world), the Scindia Horse, and other regiments — participate in the national circuit and maintain polo's traditions that might otherwise have been lost post-Independence.

The result is a polo culture that is simultaneously more traditional and more inclusive than most: army players compete at handicaps up to 8-goal on horses bred and trained by the Army's own remount depot.

Playing Polo in India

For international visitors, India offers a genuinely unique polo experience:

**Cost guide (2026)**:

**Who plays**: Indian polo is a mix of army officers, civilian patrons, and a growing number of international players who come specifically for the Rajasthani experience. Polo tourism to Jaipur in particular has grown significantly.

Attending an Indian Match

Watching polo in India is an experience unlike any other in the sport:

India reminds polo visitors of the sport's ancient roots and human richness. Nowhere else in the world will you watch army cavalry officers compete on horses that trace their lineage to the same breeding traditions used by the Maharajas, against a backdrop of pink palaces and desert hills.