The game of kings, and how it came to Jaipur
An ancient game: riders hit a ball with sticks across Persia and Central Asia for centuries, and the Mughal emperors played it in India as chaugan.
The Manipur link: in the north-east, Manipuri horsemen kept their own form of the game alive, and British officers and tea planters learned it there in the 1850s.
The first clubs: the British set up polo clubs in Cachar and Calcutta soon afterwards, and from there the game spread to England and the rest of the world.
- Origins
- Persia and Central Asia, many centuries ago
- Modern game
- Learned by the British in Manipur, 1850s
- Jaipur's year
- 1933, every major English tournament
- The team
- Man Singh II, Hanut Singh, Abhey Singh, Prithi Singh
- Cavalry
- The 61st Cavalry, based in Jaipur
- The princes take over: Rajput rulers, bred to the saddle, took to polo with passion, and by the early twentieth century the princely teams were among the best anywhere.
- Jodhpur first: Sir Pratap Singh, the soldier and regent of Jodhpur, made Marwar famous for polo, and his riding breeches went round the world under the city's name.
- Jaipur's golden team: in 1933 Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II took his team to England, with Rao Raja Hanut Singh, Rao Raja Abhey Singh and Prithi Singh, and they won every major tournament they entered.
- A life on horseback: Man Singh II remained one of the finest players of his age, and he died in 1970 after a fall during a match at Cirencester in England.
- The family tradition continues: the City Palace museum holds polo trophies and photographs, and the former royal family is still closely tied to the game in Jaipur.
- The cavalry: the 61st Cavalry, raised after independence from the horsed units of the princely states, is based in Jaipur and is one of the very few horse-mounted cavalry regiments still serving anywhere. Many of India's best players have ridden for it.
How polo works, in five minutes
Two teams of four: number one is the attacker, number four the defender, and two and three link them. The best player usually rides at three.
Chukkers: a match is divided into periods of about seven minutes called chukkers, with short breaks between them.
Fresh ponies: players change ponies after each chukker, sometimes during one, so a team may bring a whole string of ponies to a match.
- Players
- Four a side, numbered one to four
- Chukker
- About seven minutes of play
- Match
- Usually four to six chukkers
- Ground
- Up to about 300 by 160 yards
- Handicaps
- From minus two to ten goals
- The biggest field in sport: a full polo ground is about the size of nine football pitches, which is why the play seems to sweep from one end to the other.
- The right of way: the line of the ball decides who may ride where, and most fouls are about crossing it dangerously. The umpires ride on the field with the players.
- Right hand only: every player holds the mallet in the right hand, which keeps play predictable and safer for horses and riders.
- Ends change after goals: teams switch direction after each goal, so the wind and the sun are shared.
- Handicaps: every player is rated in goals, and the team handicaps are often balanced so that the match is close.
- The ball: small and hard, it can travel very fast after a good hit. Watch it, not the horses, and you'll understand the match.
What a private polo afternoon looks like
A reserved place at a match
Where you sit: a shaded spot by the boards or in a pavilion, close enough to hear the hooves and the players calling to each other.
- Who comes with you: a guide who knows the game and the families who play it, and who can tell you which ponies are worth watching.
- When: weekend and tournament matches through the season, confirmed once the fixtures are published.
A private exhibition chukker
What it is: where clubs and players are available, we arrange a short exhibition chukker or a practice game played for your party, with an introduction to the players beforehand.
- What we can't promise: particular players, royal or otherwise. Polo players have their own seasons, horses and commitments, and we never claim otherwise.
- Good for: families, anniversaries and small groups who want the drama of the game without the crowd.
Stick and ball for riders
What it is: a session on a quiet ground with an experienced coach, learning to swing a mallet and hit the ball from the saddle.
- First on the wooden horse: most coaches start you on a practice horse, so you learn the swing before you sit on a real pony.
- Who it suits: confident riders who are comfortable at a canter. It is not a beginner's riding lesson.
The pony lines and the syces
Behind the scenes: a visit to the pony lines, where syces, the grooms, prepare the ponies, bandage their legs and tie up their tails before play.
- Ask questions: the syces know each pony's temperament, and many come from families who have worked with horses for generations.
- Thank them: a tip for the syces who showed you round is customary and always appreciated.
Tea on the lawn
- After the last chukker: tea, sandwiches and Rajasthani snacks on a lawn or a palace terrace, with the players sometimes joining the crowd.
- Our favourite: tea at Rambagh Palace, whose own polo bar is hung with photographs of the game's golden age.
Where we arrange polo
Jaipur, the grounds by Rambagh
The setting: the polo grounds beside Rambagh Palace, where Man Singh II played, with the palace across the lawns.
- The cavalry ground: tournaments are also played at the 61st Cavalry's ground, often with the regiment's own riders.
- The season: around December to March, with the busiest weeks in January and February.
- Pair it with: the City Palace museum in the morning, for the trophies and portraits.
Jodhpur, the city of breeches
The tradition: the polo of Sir Pratap Singh and the famous Jodhpur teams of the 1920s, remembered in the photographs at Umaid Bhawan.
- Today: matches are played in the winter season, and we check the fixtures for your dates.
- For riders: combine polo with a ride on a Marwari horse in the countryside around Rohet.
Delhi, at the start or end of a journey
Winter polo in the capital: Delhi has its own winter season of tournaments, played at army grounds in the cantonment.
- Why it helps: if your dates miss Jaipur's fixtures, a Delhi match on arrival or departure may fill the gap.
- Stay: The Imperial, New Delhi, whose own history belongs to the same era.
Camel polo in the desert
- A gentler joke: at the Jaisalmer Desert Festival and the Bikaner Camel Festival, camels play polo with long sticks from high saddles.
- What it is: a festival entertainment, played for laughs, with a commentator enjoying himself enormously. It is not a substitute for the real game.
The ponies, and how we choose who we work with
Not really ponies: the word is a leftover from the early days of the game. Today's polo ponies are mostly thoroughbreds or crosses, chosen for speed, stamina and quick turns.
Years of training: a good pony takes years to make, learning to stop, turn and ride off another horse on the lightest signal.
- Called
- Ponies, though most are full-sized horses
- Changed
- After every chukker
- Marwari horse
- Rajasthan's own breed, with inward-curving ears
- Our rule
- No elephant polo, no tired ponies
- Rajasthan's own horse: the Marwari, bred in Marwar for cavalry, with ears that curve inward until the tips almost touch. It is prized for endurance and loyalty.
- How we choose: we work only with clubs and players whose ponies are rested, sound and well fed, with shade and water at the lines.
- No elephant polo: we don't arrange elephant polo or any event that uses elephants for entertainment. Our page on ethical animal encounters explains why.
- Heat matters: we avoid arranging play in the hottest hours, and in the warm months we don't arrange it at all.
Learning to hit the ball
Start on the wooden horse: coaches often begin on a practice horse in a netted pen, learning the swing, the grip and the follow-through.
Then a quiet pony: you move to a steady, experienced pony at a walk, tapping the ball along the ground on the right side.
- Rider level
- Confident at walk, trot and canter
- Allow
- Two to three hours with a coach
- Kit
- Helmet, boots, gloves, provided or your own
- Age
- Older children who ride well, with a coach
- The forehand first: the basic shot is a forehand on the offside, the right side of the horse. Backhands and nearside shots come later.
- Keep your eye down: the most common mistake is looking up at the target. Watch the ball until the mallet strikes it.
- Respect the pony: a good polo pony responds to your weight and legs more than the reins, so beginners are given the most forgiving horses.
- Safety first: we arrange stick and ball only with qualified coaches, proper helmets and insurance, and we're honest if we think a guest isn't ready.
- Want more: confident riders can sometimes join a practice chukker after a few sessions, with the coach's agreement. We'll ask on your behalf.
A polo afternoon in Jaipur, the way we plan it
Late morning, the story first
- Where: the City Palace museum, with its polo trophies, royal portraits and photographs of the 1933 team.
- Why: the match is far more moving once you know who played on these grounds before.
Lunch, slow and shaded
- Where: a garden lunch at your palace hotel, or at Rambagh near the grounds.
- What to eat: a light Rajasthani lunch, since you'll be on your feet all afternoon.
Afternoon, the match
Arrive early: visit the pony lines while the syces prepare the horses, and meet a player if one is free.
- During play: your guide explains each chukker, and at half-time you join the crowd on the field to tread in the divots.
- For riders: a stick-and-ball session can follow on a quieter ground, or on another day.
Dusk, tea on the lawn
- After the final chukker: tea on the lawn as the light turns gold, with players and families mingling.
- Evening: dinner at the Suvarna Mahal at Rambagh Palace, under gilded ceilings, or a quiet supper on your terrace.
What most visitors miss
The pony lines before play: half an hour before the first chukker, the syces are bandaging legs, plaiting tails and calming nervous ponies. It is the quietest, most beautiful moment of the afternoon.
The changeover: watch a player leap from a tired pony onto a fresh one between chukkers, sometimes without his feet touching the ground.
- The umpires: two mounted umpires ride in the thick of the play, with a referee watching from the side. Follow one for a chukker and you'll understand the fouls.
- The sound: stand close to the boards when play comes your way. The thunder of hooves and the crack of the mallet are louder than anyone expects.
- The commentary: in Jaipur the commentator often knows the players' fathers and grandfathers, and his asides are a history lesson in themselves.
- The trophies: many Jaipur tournaments are played for cups presented by princely families and regiments generations ago, each with its own story.
- The cavalry's horses: if you're at the cavalry ground, look at the regiment's turnout. Even the grooms' uniforms are part of a tradition that has outlived the princely states.
- The light at the end: the last chukker is often played in gold light, with long shadows racing across the turf. Photographers should save their best attention for it.
Dress and etiquette at the boards
Dress smart and comfortable: linen, cotton, a jacket or shawl for when the sun goes down. Jaipur's polo crowd dresses well without being formal.
Shoes for grass: flat shoes or boots. Heels sink into the turf, especially at half-time.
- Tread in the divots: at half-time spectators walk onto the field to press back the clods of turf the ponies have kicked up. It is tradition, and it is fun.
- Stay behind the boards: the ball and the ponies move faster than you think, and they sometimes come over the boards.
- Give ponies room: never walk directly behind a horse, never touch one without the syce's permission, and keep children close at the pony lines.
- No flash: flash photography and drones near the ponies can startle them. Ask before photographing players and syces up close.
- Clap for both sides: good play from either team is applauded, and the crowd notices who knows the game.
- Use the greeting: khamma ghani, the Rajasthani hello, goes down well with the older players and officials.
When to come for polo
Winter is the season: Jaipur's polo usually runs from around December into March, with the busiest tournaments in January and February.
Fixtures come late: tournament dates are often confirmed only weeks ahead, so we watch the calendar and hold your polo afternoon flexibly.
- Jaipur season
- Around December to March
- Peak weeks
- January and February
- Delhi and Jodhpur
- Winter tournaments, dates vary
- No polo
- April to the monsoon, in the heat and rain
- Combine it well: January brings Makar Sankranti kites and the Jaipur Literature Festival, so the city is lively and the best rooms go early.
- Christmas polo: December falls within the season in most years, and a polo afternoon makes a lovely festive outing. Our Christmas and New Year in a palace journey includes one when the fixtures allow.
- No summer polo: from April the heat makes play unkind to ponies, and the monsoon softens the grounds. If you are travelling then, visit the City Palace trophies instead.
Before you go
Tell us early: if polo is the reason for your trip, tell us before you book flights, so we can match your dates to the likely tournament weeks.
Riders, bring proof: if you want stick and ball, tell us honestly how much you ride. Coaches will ask, and bringing your own riding boots or gloves helps.
- Allow
- Three to four hours with tea
- Bring
- Hat, sunglasses, shawl, flat shoes
- Getting there
- Ten minutes from most Jaipur palace hotels
- Children
- Welcome, kept behind the boards
- Weather: winter afternoons are sunny and warm, then cool quickly after sunset. Dress in layers.
- Access: some grounds have uneven surfaces and few seats. Tell us about mobility needs, and we'll arrange a shaded seat close to the car.
- Photography: a long lens helps, and the best angles are from the corners of the ground, away from the crowd at halfway.
- Tipping: a tip for the syces who show you the pony lines is customary. Our money and tipping guide suggests how much.
Where to stay for polo
Rambagh Palace: the former residence of Man Singh II and Maharani Gayatri Devi, a hotel since 1957, with the polo grounds next door and a polo bar full of trophies and photographs.
Jai Mahal Palace: a garden palace a short drive away, with formal Mughal gardens for a quiet evening after the match.
- The Oberoi Rajvilas: calm and spacious, a little further out, for guests who want rest between outings.
- Umaid Bhawan Palace, Jodhpur: for polo in Marwar, stay in the palace whose museum tells the story of the city's teams.
- Our full guide: luxury hotels in Jaipur compares the city's palaces and havelis.
Who will love a polo afternoon
Riders and horse lovers: the pony lines, the syces and a stick-and-ball session will be the highlight of your journey.
History lovers: the story of the princely teams, the 1933 tour and the cavalry brings the palaces to life.
- Families: children love the speed, the half-time divots and the ponies, as long as they stay behind the boards.
- Couples: a polo afternoon followed by dinner at Rambagh is one of the most romantic days in Jaipur.
- Not for you if: you dislike crowds and standing outdoors, or you're travelling between April and November, when there is no play. In that case, try a Marwari horse safari in the cooler months or our polo and horses overview.