Meghauly is home to several endangered and rare species of wildlife such as the royal bengal tiger and the Asian one-homed rhinoceros. Elephant polo was first played in Jaipur, capital of India's northwestern state of Rajasthan, at opulent ceremonies hosted by Maharajahs. But in those days, it was an ad hoc lark-about rather than a serious contest with rules. The concept was dreamed up by a Scottish landowner and a British tour operator who met at a bar in Switzerland in 1981. The game's organising committee has just decided to reduce the length of the ground to lOOm from the regular horse polo length of 140m and use only three jumbos per side instead of four.
Players say the task of advancing their game as an international sport is a mammoth one.
Even in Nepal there are only about 70 domesticated elephants and about the same number in the wild. There is also the question of costs, including rental of the animals. Like traditional polo, elephant polo is also something of an elitist sport. Although Nepali villagers turn up in their thousands to watch, it is clearly a domain of the rich and beautiful. It is a real treat, and a damn serious game.