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Rajputs have been keen equestrian and they take to the
horses like a fish to water. Their taking to polo in big
way was only natural. Their association with polo dates
back to the Mughal period and miniature paintings at the
Mehrangarh Fort bear testimony to this early
introduction to the game. However, Polo did not become a
passion until the British period when it became a
natural and a marvelous peacetime pursuit.
It was in 1889, when the colourful Prime Minister of
Jodhpur Sir Partap Singh invited the Bengal Lancers to
raise the Jodhpur Lancers; Polo was introduced to
Jodhpur in its current modern form. Three years later
Jodhpur raised its Polo Team, which won many accolades
home and abroad. In 1897, when Sir Pratap travelled to
London for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, he took his
polo team along, amongst the very first Indian teams to
travel abroad, and, for that matter, foreign teams to
invade England and create history. They won many matches
there, at Hurlingham and Ranelagh, and returned with
their reputation enhanced; the finest Indian team during
those years. Rajasthan produced many great Polo players,
which include Sir Partap Singh, Rao Raja Hanut Singh,
Thakur Hari Singh and the colourful Maharaja Man Singh
II of Jaipur, who took over the pride of jodhpur as an
inevitable gift by being the suave son in law of
Jodhpur. Thus the best of the players and the finest of
the polo ponies were shifted to the royal house of
Jaipur, the rest is history. More... |
