Shandur Polo Festival at the world rooftop got un-derway in a colourful opening ceremony with hun-dreds and thousands of vociferous spectators with their cheering hands and shouting.
The Shandur Polo is being played between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, under freestyle rules.
Polo in Shandur has been played between Chitral and Gilgit since the 1930s but at the government level, it was first organized in 1982.
The event is since then organized by District administrations of Upper Chitral and Lower Chitral, and is financed by KP govt. Polo at Shandur top, which is the world’s highest polo ground at an alti-tude of 3,700 meters. The festival also includes folk music, dancing, and a camping village set up. The polo tournament is featured in the first episode of Himalaya with Michael Plain.
Since 1982 the Polo has been won 13 times by Gilgit-Baltistan and 16 times by Chitral. Shahzada Sikandar Ul Mulk (Captain of Chitral Polo team) has won a staggering 13 times while leading as a captain of his team. He is thus the most successful captain ever followed by Raji Rehmat of Gilgit who has won it 7 times for his team.
The world’s highest polo ground is in the small village of Shandur, located at an altitude of 12,000 feet above sea level, the ground sits in the shadow of the towering Hindu Kush mountain range. The unique location of the polo ground makes it a popular destination for adventure seekers and polo enthu-siasts.
Polo at world’s ‘rooftop’ readies for polo festival wherein teams of Chitral and arch-rival Gilgit-Baltistan looked enthusiastic, stamping their superi-orities on each other when they will be in the field free for all rules.
Foolproof security arrangements have also been taken to make the event a success. A special village has been set up for the festivities and to accommodate the large number of visitors.
