Sagol Kangjei

Why in news?

• The Home Minister inaugurated a 122-foot-tall statue of a polo player astride a Manipur Pony in Imphal.

About Sagol Kangjei:

• Modern polo is said to have originated from Sagol Kangjei, a sport indigenous to Manipur, in which players ride horses, specifically the Manipur Ponies, which are referenced in records dating back to the 14th century.
• The Manipur Pony is one of five recognised equine breeds of India, and has a powerful cultural significance for Manipuri society.
• The Lai-Haraoba festival of the state depicts the life and times of Khori-phaba, the polo-playing god of sports.
• The origins of polo in Manipur are associated mythologically with Marjing, the God of the Chenglei tribe, to whom a structure similar to the ancient polo stick along and a ball are still offered in worship.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Sagol Kangjei, from which modern day Polo was originated, is indigenous to the state of:

(a) Manipur

(b) Assam

(c) Odisha

(d) Himachal Pradesh

Answer