a game played sitting on ponies holding with a hockey stick of having a long slender embedded with a mallet at one end, is one of the richest heritage games of Manipur. It was popularly played as a pastime game or side by side as a martial drill of the Manipuris particularly during those days of state formation. Surely, those unknown patriarchs never knew that the game of Sagol Kangjei which has been modified by the Britishers under the nomenclature of Polo is going to be a precious gift to the world. Its uniqueness lies where perfect coordination is the absolute need between two exclusive species, the human being and the animal i.e. ponies, where both require the inherent characteristics of strength, sturdiness and dexterity.

It is believed that Sagol Kangjei, the traditional polo of Manipur, was first introduced during the time of King Kangba who reigned in Manipur by making his capital at Kangmong village, about 16 kms from Imphal towards Tiddim Road much before the emergence of the Christian era. Meitei mythologies often narrate that the ancestors of the Meiteis and certain Sylvan deities such as Marjing, Thanging, Wangbren, Koubru, Nogpok Ningthou, Ekop Ningthou etc., representing different principalities, played Sagol Kangjei regularly. Elements of Sagol Kangjei are found often webbed into certain ritual fabrics of Meitei culture.”

This traditional game is the origin of modern polo, which the British adapted in the 19th century and popularized worldwide. Efforts to revive Manipur Polo seek to honor this heritage and promote it as a symbol of cultural identity and economic opportunity through sports tourism.