Polo Festival at Shandur

Shandur Polo festival is a traditional polo tournament between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit and is held on the Shandur Pass of Chitral district from 7th to 9th July each year. People from the entire region, flock in numbers to support their respective teams in a thrilling game of polo. Besides the match, the festival also includes fishing at the nearby streams and lakes, mountaineering, trekking, hiking and horseback riding and a festival of folk dances and music of the Northern Pakistan. Souvenir shops and craft shops are set up to promote the local culture.
The game of polo was introduced in South Asia, by the Muslim conquerors in the 13th Century. The game has its origin in Central Asia where it was a sort of training game for cavalry units for the King’s guards. Eventually, it became the national game of Persians in the 6th Century AD. The word Polo is an English counterpart of a Baltic word meaning ball. The first polo tournament at the Shandur Pass was held in 1936. A British political agent, Major Cobb, who was fond of playing polo under a full moon, had the polo ground near Shandur, named 'Moony Polo Ground'. In ancient times, there was no limit to the number of players and no time limit. Whichever team scored nine goals first, became the winner. Today, there are six players in each side. The game lasts for one hour with a ten-minute break. This game is very much popular in Northern Pakistan.