Known as a Roof of the world, Shandur Polo ground is the world’s highest polo field located in the Ghizer district of Gilgit Baltistan region of Pakistan. The polo game played here is a unique type of polo game, called freestyle polo. The Traditional polo festival was conducted annually here since 1936 and people from all around the world come to watch the matches. Currently, the event is jointly organized by the Tourism Corporation of NWFP and the Ministry of Tourism Gilgit-Baltistan.

History

Traditionally the polo game was played by the local Mirs, Mehtas, and Rajas. The origin of the polo ground is attributed to the 16th Balti raja of Skardu, Ali Sher Khan Anchan who also devised the rule of the game, but the initiation of present-day Polo ground in Shandur is credited to the British colonizers who made possible the building of the polo ground in Shandur. In 1935, a British political agent, Major Evelyn Hey Cobb ordered Niat Qabool Hayat Kakakhel to construct the polo ground in Shandur. The locals played an important role in the construction of the polo ground. The polo ground is previously known as “Mas Junali” because the British political agent was fond of playing polo in the moonlight. The word is derived from the Khowar language, “Mas” means moon and “Junali” means polo ground. The British political agent was so impressed by the work of Kakakhel that he wished to reward him for his services, but Kakakhel refused to accept any reward for his work and asked him to bring trout to stock the local stream. The British political agent ordered live trout from England and dropped them in the Ghizer River. The Directorate of Fisheries was established after these services and a lot of people were employed. Moreover, the construction of Shandur polo ground connected the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region with the Gilgit Baltistan region and it became a source of good relations between the people of both regions.

Shandur Polo Festival

The polo festival at Shandur is one of the famous festivals in Pakistan. It is held between 7-9 July and attracts thousands of local and international tourists each year. The polo played here is a bit different than the standard polo. Firstly, the shandur polo ground is smaller than the standard polo ground. The standard polo ground has a dimension of 275m x 145m whereas Shandur polo ground is just 200m long and 50m wide which makes the ground crowded during the festival. Secondly, the polo played here is a freestyle polo tournament between the teams of Gilgit and Chitral. It has no fouls in the game which makes the game fairly brutal. Lastly, in standard polo horses take rest for about 4 minutes after every 7 minutes but in Shandur horses play a non-stop of 25 minutes following a 10 minutes break after which the game resumes for another 25 minutes which at an altitude of more than 3700 m is a big feat for the horses and the players alike. Apart from the Polo festival, local dance, folk music, and the natural beauty of the place are no less of a majestic spectacle.

The visitors enjoy the stunning view along with the polo game played in the ground because the ground is surrounded by beautiful landscape and shandur lake further enhance the beauty of the ground.