The Origin of Polo (Sagol Kangjei) from Manipur - With Infographics

In history there was always a sagol kangjei match after the famed boat race known as Hiyaang Taanaba which is still popular in Manipur.

This is the translation of an essay Sagol Kangjei (which is Polo in English) written by Wahengbam Yumjao, which was originally published in the prose collection Waareng Akhomba, published by the Manipuri Sahitya Parishad in 1965.

Across the world, if for nothing else, Manipur is famous for its classical Ras dance and the game of polo. We proudly claim them as our contribution to humanity.

We need to commend our forefathers and remember them for our rich heritage.

Nobody knows the origin of polo. Lack of record and information has compelled us to accept just the fact that it was introduced in Europe after originating from India. People do believe that the game did develop from Manipur.

In India, except from the place of origin, the game is known by the English term ‘polo’.  However, it was never included in English vocabulary. Linguists and anthropologists find that there is no apparent meaning to this name, so it is impossible to search the origin of the game etymologically. It is certain, however, that the term does not exist anywhere.

(*In Manipuri, sagol means a pony/horse, kaang a ball, and jei, deviated from chei, a stick/mallet used for hitting the ball)  

From kaang (an indigenous Manipuri indoor game of seven players a side), we have khong kangjei (similar to hockey), and further we have sagol kangjei. It is a clear indication from linguistic view that the game saw its birth in Manipur.

Manipuri polo players, circa 1875 (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

There is a creeper called kaangkhil, which we used to call it simply as kaang. From its model we have balls made of other creepers and even from elephant’s teeth. We hurl the ball or roll it and hit an object. It is believed that children started playing this game and developed into the game of present-day Kaang. Then it further gave rise to the term called panjel (the score or the number of hits.)

Just merely hitting and rolling the balls with bare hands was becoming trite so we took the game outside. Thus we saw the birth of khong kaagjei, or hockey, using sticks and a goal boundary. In olden days, people used to call the game as awok-athong (loosely meaning attack-and-counterattack.)

Gradually the rules started changing, so were the formats of the game. There were new styles of hitting the ball, ways to hit it the hardest, how the players tackle each other and so on. Kaang had been undergoing changes as well as newer games were coming to life.

After khong kangjei, we saw the rise of mukna kangjei (mukna is similar to wrestling.) Especially the youth started testing their strength, proving their courage and showing their guts. This was not enough and they mounted on horses and started playing sagol kaagjei!

As soon as they were on horseback, they needed newer sticks and mallets. In this regard, linguistically, it is interesting to note that the shorter stick was drilled and joined with a longer one and it was named as kaang-hoo (which in Manipuri is a literal name derived from how it is made by drilling, hootpa, and making a hole.)

With the advent of pony, the ball apparently became smaller. Until then it was not spherical and thus motion-challenged too. Since long it was made from a creeper plant but for convenience, bamboo stem was carefully chosen to make the ball and as appropriate it was, the new ball came to be known as kaangdroom (or literally a rounded ball).

Now we should explore deeper on the history of sagol kangjei. Etymologically in Manipuri, the word sagol denotes a stooping animal (horse). During the days of Poreiton*, there were only cows (sun as in the Sun) but no horses. In fact, cows were the only animal and the generic name saa is taken from the sun/cow.

SIDENOTE (This text is sourced from other online references)

*Poreiton was the brother-in-law of Nongda Lairen Pakhangba, the first Manipuri/Kangleipaki king in the written history of present-day Manipur that began from 33CE. You can refer to puyas such as the Ninghthou Kangbalon, Cheitharol Kumbaba, Ningthourol Lambuba, Poireiton Khunthokpa, Panthoibi Khongkul and others.

According to A Brief History (Puwari) of the Meiteis of Manipur by P Lalit:

Nongda Lairen Pakhangba was the son of Leinung Yabirok (mother) reigned in the 1st century AD. He married Laisra, a daughter of the line of Poireiton kings. Nongda Lairen Pakhangba and Laisra  ascended the throne in 33 AD on one Monday at Kangleipungmayol, the name of his kingdom,  after making bards sing Ougree, a song sung in praise of the god for the prosperity of the King and his (subjects). 

Further in Evolution of Meetei state — Emergence of Nongda Lairen Pakhangba, Dr Priyadarshini M Gangte wrote:

The Meitei ethnic group, as we find it today, was formed by amalgamation of seven different but closely knit and allied clan principalities, settled in different parts of Manipur, independent of each other and constituted the Meitei confederacy. They were the Meitei, Khaba-Nganba, Chenglei, Angom, Khuman, Luwang and Moirang. 

Besides these, there existed several other clans, such as, Mangang, Manding, Chairen, Khende, Heiren Khunja, etc., all of which were in course of time, merged into one or the other of the seven major principalities. These seven principalities underwent an age-long struggle amongst themselves till the Meitei or the Ningthouja finally triumphed over others, established supremacy over them and absorbed them one by one in a period that covered several centuries. 

After their assimilation, the name Meitei became the common nomenclature for all of them. Yet, the seven major clans mentioned above were what are now known as the seven Salais of the Meitei Society like that of hill tribes. 

It is believed that it was King Nongda Lairen Pakhangba who consolidated the seven clans and formed the Meitei nation.

The two illustrations are sourced from the Wikipedia page on the Burmese Military History. (Top: From a series of views in Burmah taken during Major Phayre’s Mission to the Court of Ava in 1855CE. Above: From an account of an embassy to the kingdom of Ava, sent by the Governor-General of India, in 1795CE) | Images: Wikimedia Commons

We can emphasise on horses though written evidences showed they were not readily available in the kingdom during those days. But there are proofs of mass presence during the days of Luwang Ningthou (the king of the Luwang clan). In the foothills of erstwhile Luwang Hills, there still exists a place called Sagollakpa Chingjin, referring to the sagol or horses. This area was under the control of the Punsiba, the Luwang king. It is still believed that even the wildest horses can be tamed effortlessly in this place.

In history there was always a sagol kangjei match after the famed boat race which is still popular in Manipur and is known as Hiyaang Taanaba. Punsiba, the Luwang king, is also believed to be the inventor of boat race. So it is most likely that sagol kangjei had its origin in that period.

Poireiton lived during a pre-historic era, even before the birth of Gautam Buddha*. Those who believed in the Mahabharata-Manipur relation estimate that sagol kangjei had existed 600 years before the writing of the Indian Hindu epic.

(* Buddha is believed to have lived from 563–483 BCE. I’m unsure about how Poreiton lived during the time of Pakhangba.)

During the reign of King Gambhir (1825–1834 CE), the Seven Years Devastation (1819–1826 CE) took place after he was defeated in a Burmese war. We know many people had to flee to Cachar in Assam and adjoining areas. The European officials came across the game there, learnt its tricks and techniques and they started playing in Kolkata around 1860.

The Historical Record Commission, in its Udaipur session, mentions that Emperor Akbar (1542–1605 CE) showed a fabric painting of polo to the members.  In those days, according to Chamber’s Encyclopaedia, the Persian poet Hafeez also wrote about the game:

May the ball of the heavens be forever in the crook of thy polo stick, and the whole world be a playing-ground unto thee. The fame of thy goodness has conquered the four quarters of the earth; may it be for all time a guardian unto thee! *

(*In the original essay, the above quote is a 10-word, one-line expression, which can be roughly translated as ‘You the horse rider, our leader, come to the ground and hit the ball’. I have rewritten it for the sake of fine finishing this word-work.)

Read the details of the rules in the infographic below.

A similar game of polo is played in Tibet and Japan but the rules and formats of the game are quite different from sagol kangjei. It is beyond a doubt that the game has existed in Manipur since immemorial times. Again, it is believed that Akbar was a patron, who did so much to promote the game. During the period of Queen Victoria, King Edward was the Prince of Wales. When he visited India in 1875, he witnessed a polo match in Kolkata too.

From chronological records and documented evolution of the game, we can assert that sagol kaagjei originated from Manipur. This is despite the fact that it is played all over Asia.  The Manipuris’ love for horse is reflected in the idiom, ‘Ema sigani kanglamlabadi sagol leiramgadababu’ or literally, ‘We could have bought a horse if we knew mother was to pass away’.

From history, we can see how children wanted to ride a horse, play sagol kangjei and who would later in life took part in war and conquest. In Embassy to Ava*, it is mention in depth about how the Ava (or Awa which is a Manipuri generic term for Burmese and theirs for us is Kathe/Cassay) used and groomed prisoners of war as horse warriors. This is also why the British historians noted that the Cassay Horse, the cavalry of Manipuri horsemen took part in the Third Burmese War** and that there were Manipuris on both warring sides.

* Most probably this is the book written by John Crawfurd. Other historical records mention how during the Konbaung dynasty (1752–1885) the Manipuri cavalry was formed as an elite cavalry corps (the Cassay Horse) in the Burmese army.]

** It is the Third Anglo-Burmese War, 1885. For more details, please refer to the histories of the Burmese military, French Indochina and the Konbaung Dynasty.

—Concluded.

Manipur is a state in northeastern India. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south.

TRANSLATION NOTE

All the references in the essay have been made to Indian history that we have little in common with; in fact we have no place in it. It is no surprise, though, the essay begins by mentioning Ras in the first line, and the time of writing, 1965 was the peak of Indianisation process in the post-Independence period.

It could have been much better if it followed a holistic approach or briefly, if the author had looked up all the records available from the eastern part of the erstwhile kingdom too. For instance, the Manipur pony is a cousin of Burmese pony. The British colonials also used this Burmese breed in playing polo.)

In terms of language, I have used as many simplest words as possible, while ascertaining that the translation sticks to the gist of the original essay. For clarity, I have also inserted sub-headers, asterisks and notes; plus shortened the paragraph lengths.

Regarding the acclaimed Manipuri pony, nothing is mention about it in particular. In Simon & Schuster’s Guide to Horses and Ponies, it is stated that:

The Manipuri breed has a light head with a straight profile, set on a well-formed neck, somewhat pronounced withers, a deep chest and sloping shoulders. The croup is sloping, the legs sturdy and the hooves well-proportioned. The ponies generally stand 11 to 13 hands (44 to 52 inches, 112 to 132 cm) high.

Manipuri pony: This breed has a light head with a straight profile, set on a well-formed neck, somewhat pronounced withers, a deep chest and sloping shoulders. (Image: www.pferde-rassen.de)

RESOURCES

Manipuri Polo | E-pao

Born in obscurity, spotted by civilization, Polo became a World sports by proxy. Though this majestic game had always been an integral part of the Manipuri ethos, it was the Britishers who actually gave it a place under the sun.

From Sagol Kangjei to Polo - Recording the Evolution of the Game in Manipur | Sportskeeda

The game of polo is said to have originated in ancient Persia around 5th century BC and passed on to other parts of Asia including the Indian subcontinent over the years. However, the beginnings of Polo in the modern age and its origins in India can be traced back to the north eastern state of Manipur.

Polo at its Birthplace: How Polo is Played in Manipur? | Tripod

Polo is one of the oldest games. Scholars  usually point out that the earliest forms of the game were played in ancient Persia, that it later spread slowly to the East. The name Polo is said to have derived from pulu, the Tibetan word for ball. The Moghul conquerors brought Polo to India. But it died along with the decline of the Moghul Empire in India.

Polo in Manipur had a different ancestry. Manipur, one of the 25 States constituting the Indian Union today, was not a part of India until 1949. All the major ethnic groups constituting the Manipuri people are of the Mongoloid stock and their languages belong to the Tibeto-Burman family. Polo is a part of their cultural inheritance, as waves of people migrated from southern China in the prehistoric times.

Two Millennia After the First Manipuri Polo Match, a Women’s Team Is Ushering in a Quiet Revolution | The Hindu

This is Sagol Kangjei, the origins of modern-day polo. Legend has it that Manipur’s deity-king Kangba invented the game in the 14th century BC, and that in 33 AD., deity-king Nongda Pakhangba organised the first polo match. The story goes that the gods celebrated the establishment of the Meitei kingdom with a fierce game of Sagol Kangjei, with teams of seven men, following rules created by none less than Marjing, the God of Polo.

Huntre!

Embed the two infographics on polo/sagol kangjei on your website/blog:

1:  <p><strong>Please include attribution to https://kapilarambam.blogspot.com/ with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a href='https://kapilarambam.blogspot.com/2015/08/of-polo.html'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjV7kOR-0Ikwy2PuoR3lEKJ8xsZwbMho4xoAJzp41meQ4GYDrJuckgwUJHvGyCKYkwpWcr3yMOOmitkNQnfcTkFQcYfMKxNkHizg9HD2gGGw465kdkBa_w-cIjl4k1B2WffKmgC3W_9dE/s16000/Polo-Sagol-Kangjei1.png' alt='Polo (Sagol Kaagjei) 1' 540px border='0' /></a></p>  
2:  <p><strong>Please include attribution to https://kapilarambam.blogspot.com/ with this graphic.</strong><br /><br /><a href='https://kapilarambam.blogspot.com/2015/08/of-polo.html'><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbFR73CjnT49RYJCTeQdZDheGzm7LuRlLOoNCsu_fQ_i67BcONyi02Enqo8DXDF47FSSCt7EHUv4krmqK4MXNzisQaB097odNpb_HCkR8L8oBTY22uZ5TwyTRGuhkxdl8DZq5-OzEyvcnk/s16000/Polo-Sagol-Kangjei2.png' alt='Polo (Sagol Kangjei) 2' 540px border='0' /></a></p>