CHITRAL: Shandur Polo Festival at the world rooftop, at 12500 feet above sea level, began with a colourful opening ceremony with hundreds and thousands of jubilant spectators with their cheering hands and shouting.
Contests of the event are being played between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan, under freestyle rules since the 1930s, however, the event was organized for the first time in 1982 under the government’s supervision. The pitch was first used when the reigning royalty decided to have a polo match in the late 1920s.
For the last 40 years, the event has been organized by the District administrations of Upper Chitral and Lower Chitral with the financial assistance of the KP government. The event also includes folk music, dancing, and a camping village setup. The polo tournament is featured in the first episode of Himalaya with Michael Plain.
Since 1982, Chitral won the Polo tournament 16 times while Gilgit-Baltistan managed to clinch the trophy 13 times. Shahzada Sikandar Ul Mulk (Captain of the Chitral Polo team) has the honour to win 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 plus feet above sea level; the ground sits in the shadow of the towering Hindu Kush mountain range. The unique and attractive location of the polo ground makes it a catchy destination for adventure seekers, tourists, and polo lovers.
Playing Polo at World Rooftop
It is often called the ‘Rooftop of the World’. The top is flat, a plateau, and can be crossed between late April and early Nov. The annual traditional sporting event has become a global attraction and brings in a large number of tourists as well as revenue for the provincial government of KP and the Chitral district administration.
Special flights are operating to and from Chitral, especially for the foreign tourists expected to visit the interesting festival. Pakistan’s national flag carrier, PIA, will operate two special flights from Islamabad to Chitral, taking tourists there. Facilitation desks have been set up at the Chitral, Peshawar, and Islamabad airports as well.
Proper security arrangements have been made to make the event a success. A special village has been set up for the festivities and to accommodate the large number of visitors. Meawnhile a number of stalls have been established to promote the artworks of Chitral and Gilgit local artists and skilled people. Rafting in Shandur Lake, paragliding, archery, fireworks, and kite flying would be some other significant features of the event.
Earlier Commissioner Malakand Division Shahidullah Khan, who attended the event as the chief guest, throw-in the ball to inaugurate the festival before a match was played between Sarlaspur Upper and Sarlaspur Lower, wherein Sarlapur Upper won it by 5-1.
