POLO IN INDIA 273 



the north-west of Burmah an immense range of mountainous 

 country. In this great mountain tract lie snugly ensconced 

 amid the hills that rise to an elevation of 6000 to 7000 feet 

 one or two large valleys. The largest and most important 

 embraces the independent state of Munnipore, the area of 

 whose central valley is about 650 square miles, standing at an 

 elevation of some 2700 feet above the sea level and governed 

 by the Rajah of that ilk. The origin of the Munnipoories is 

 obscure, as their written records were only composed at the 

 time of their conversion to Hinduism in the beginning of the last 

 century, and as such are . not reliable. But by a Shan account 

 of the Shan kingdom of Pong we find mention of one Samlong,, 

 a brother of the Pong king, having descended into the Munni- 

 pore valley on his return from Tipperah in the year 777 A.D. 

 This is the earliest record of the Munnipoories as a distinct 

 race. 



Captain Pemberton attributes their origin to the Tartars and 

 says : ' We may safely conclude them to be the descendants of 

 a Tartar colony from China.' In this diagnosis he is doubtless 

 right, for one has only to scan their features, high cheekbones, 

 flat faces, and almond-shaped eyes to realise that they have a 

 large share of Tartar and Chinese blood in their veins. 



This, however, is at variance with the opinion expressed by 

 Captain McCulloch, who was Political Agent at Munnipore for 

 over twenty years, and who in 1859 published an interesting 

 pamphlet on the Munnipoories and the adjacent tribes. Be 

 that as it may, no doubt Munnipore is the cradle of Indian 

 polo, though it is unknown by that name there, where it is 

 called kan-jai-bazee, and occupies as a national game the posi- 

 tion that cricket does with us. Children commence practising 

 the game on foot and on horseback from an early age, and 

 proficiency in the game is viewed as a road to royal favour. 

 A tradition exists amongst the Munnipoories that the game 

 was introduced into their country more than 300 years ago by 

 one of their rajahs, Pakungba by name ; but if Captain Pem- 

 berton's opinion as to their origin be correct, it is more than 



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