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Baltistan is the home of Polo. It being the national game, almost every village has its polo ground which is looked after very well. The people are passionately fond of this game. The length of the ground is commonly 200 yards. The width is from 30 to 40 yards and the width of each goal is over 10 and under 15 yards. The goals are marked by white stones sunk into, but showing half a foot or a foot above the ground. The ground is enclosed by loose stone walls. Till liberation the game was played as described below:

Maximum or minimum number of players was not fixed. In a large ground fifteen aside could play but usually consisting of two pairs of drum, a fife and a long Horn that one man hardly wielded, escorted the Raja or the Chief personage in procession who took his seat on a raised platform in the centre of one side. Each player gave his whip to the Raja, which were paired either by the Raja himself or by the general voice of the bystanders. Then a small boy was brought forward who sifted a pair of whips several times in his hands and then put one on his right and the other on his left. Each pair was like0wise sifted, separated and placed on right and left. Thus the owners of the whips on right formed one team and the owners of whips on the left the other team. Goals were appropriated to each side. The players did not take up their position at their respective goals but conjugated at one end. Then one player took the ball in his hand and galloping at full speed, threw it in the air and hit it towards the opposite side when he reached middle of the ground. The player was followed by his own side as well as his opposite. Whenever the ball missed the goal post and crossed it, a bystander would pick up the ball and throw it as hard as he could in the other direction for the advantage of the second side. It was the rule that the game was not considered to have started unless one of that side touched the ball without interruption from the other side. Hooking of sticks intentional or by accident was allowed. An opponent could catch the stick of other when unable to reach the ball himself. When the ball crossed the goal post, goal was not considered to have been scored unless one of the players of the scoring team dismounted and picked up. The opposite side tried to hit the ball into the ground before the player of the Scoring Teak picked it up. The music continued playing throughout the game. After a goal was scored, player who had picked the ball, started off as before for a new game. At each game the goals changed. The play went on without a moment intermission, until one side scored nine games even if it took a couple of hours or more. The signal for the stopping of the game was given after nine goals were scored. The winning side then rode the collected before the musicians and joined in the raising and lowering and waving of