Elephant polo

Jaipur is where polo originated. The sport was once patronised by the royals, but the horse was swapped with an elephant. This version of the game is also played in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, but here in Jaipur, it is played almost all through the year. The elephants are directed by their mahouts who are in turn instructed by the players. The pitch is two-thirds of the standard polo pitch to compensate for the slower pace of the elephants, the ball remains the standard polo ball and players use a 6-10 feet of cane or bamboo stick. And of course, there’s also an option of using camels instead of elephants.