Manipur International Women’s Polo
The Mapal Kangjeibung in Imphal is the oldest living polo ground on Earth, the turf where Sagol Kangjei was first played centuries before the modern game carried the name polo across the world. Across two editions Henceforth worked with the All Manipur Polo Association and Manipur Tourism to bring international women players to this ground for an experience led journey into the origins of the sport.
The brief was singular. Position Manipur as the home of women’s polo and invite players from across oceans to ride the indigenous Manipuri pony, follow the game in its original form and carry the story home. Teams travelled from South Africa, Luxembourg and Zambia to meet the daughters of Manipur on sacred ground.
To stand at the Mapal Kangjeibung is to stand at the source. In Meitei tradition the deity Marjing rode the first horse and struck the first ball. Every match since has carried a thread of that origin.
Sagol Kangjei opens with the Hantre Hunba, who tosses a ball of bamboo root into the air as the contest ignites. Play follows Thaksi Khasi, a code of fairness held through generations. Our work began by honouring this context and shaping an edition that read as a cultural homecoming, true to the ground it stood on.
The sixth edition in 2023 drew teams from South Africa and Luxembourg alongside three Indian sides, with the visiting players meeting Manipur on its own turf. The seventh edition in 2026 welcomed Zambia to the Mapal Kangjeibung for the first time, with South Africa returning and two Indian teams completing the field.
Across both editions every visiting player rode a Manipuri pony and followed the game as it was first conceived, smaller, wilder and closer to the ground. The home side carried the final of 2026 to a golden goal in the dying seconds, a homecoming the crowd had already given its heart to.
Beyond the matches Henceforth shaped the full arc of the visit. Players were welcomed into the rituals of the ground, the lineage of the pony and the wider culture of Manipur, from the Ima Keithel market stewarded by women for centuries to the ceremonies that frame each game.
The South African team described the trip as a pilgrimage to the roots of polo and donated its winnings to the conservation of the Manipuri pony. Their captain left with a promise to tell every player she could reach that they must come to Manipur.
Since 2016 the tournament has drawn women from the United States, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Australia, Kenya, Luxembourg, South Africa and Zambia to this corner of northeast India. Each edition strengthens Manipur’s claim as the home of women’s polo and renews a covenant between the players, the ponies and the ground they share.
In Meitei culture feminine power has always been central, from the all women Ima Keithel to the women now at the vanguard of Sagol Kangjei. The story leaves with every team that rides here and travels far beyond the field.
