Shandur Pass

Shandur Pass
شندور  (Urdu)
Shandur pass
Traversed by	Chitral–Shandur Road
Location	Pakistan[1]
Coordinates	36°04′32″N 72°31′12″E / 36.075556°N 72.520130°E / 36.075556; 72.520130Coordinates: 36°04′32″N 72°31′12″E / 36.075556°N 72.520130°E / 36.075556; 72.520130
Location of Shandur Pass Shandur Pass (Pakistan) Show map of Khyber PakhtunkhwaShow map of PakistanShow all

Shandur Pass (Urdu: شندور) is a pass located in . It is often called 'Roof of the World'.

During the annual 'Shandur Polo Festival,' there are polo matches played in Shandur Polo Ground on Shandur Top, between the teams of Chitral District and Gilgit-Baltistan Province. Approximately seven matches are played in the three days of the festival usually held on July 7th to 9th every year. The final match is played on July 9th between Teams A of Gilgit Baltistan and Chitral.

Geography[]

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History[]

It is said that around 1932-38, UK's appointed Political Agent Major Evelyn Hey Cobb (later Lieutenant Colonel) passed an order to Niat Qabool Hayat Kakakhel, Nambardar of Ghizer to establish a huge polo ground in Shandur. Kakakhail soon implemented the orders of higher headquarters on the ground and with the help of his manpower he established a marvellous polo ground at Shandur. The polo ground was later on named "Mas Junali", as in Khowar language ‘mas’ is word for ‘moon’ and ‘junali’ is word for ‘polo ground’. Cobb was very fond of playing polo in moon light.

Shandoor Lake

Ali Sher Khan Anchan Maqpoun used to play Polo at Shandoor when Chitral was part of Maqpoun empire.^[2] Historically, polo being the king of games was played between small kingdoms, villages and rival groups of Gilgit Agency. From 1936 onwards polo tournaments were held annually at Shandur at the patronage of the British. The three-day Shandur Polo Festival has developed steadily in recent years into the massive celebration of mountain polo that it is today.

British rulers impressed by the unprecedented constructional works of the people of Koh-e-Ghizer and offered Niat Qabool Hayat for a prize. Instead, he made it for a collective benefit and requested British representatives to fill local water streams with live stocks of Trouts. Soon after, a large amount of trout was provided to the streams of Koh-e-Ghizer.

Since then, Shandur Polo Festival started to open a door step to the people of global community to enjoy the game of kings at the roof of the world. Moreover,

So Mas Junali became a source of relation between the people of Chitral District and Gupis-Yasin/Ghizer districts. The Shandur Polo Festival opens a door step to the people of the world to enjoy their selves. Many of the people from entire world come here to watch polo match played between Chitral and Ghizer^[3] At first it was a training game for cavalry units or other Elite troops. To the warlike tribesmen who played polo with as many as 100 players to a side, it was a miniature battle. It became a Persian national game in the 6th century AD. From Persia, the game spread to Arabia, then to Tibet, China and Japan. In China, in the year 910, death of a favourite relative in a game prompted Emperor Apaochi to order beheading of all players.

Ali Sher Khan Anchan Maqpoun used to play Polo at Shandoor when Chitral was briefly occupied by him.^[4] The Princes and political agents of Chitral also enjoyed playing Polo in Shandur. Historically, polo being the king of games was played between small kingdoms, villages and rival groups of Chitral and Ghizer. From 1936 onwards polo tournaments were held annually at Shandur at the patronage of the British. The three-day Shandur Polo Festival has developed steadily in recent years into the massive celebration of mountain polo that it is today. Since 1982 the matches are being arranged by Chitral administration , levies, Chitral scout and police. GB teams participated as guests team .

See also[]

• Golaghmuli Valley
• Gilgit River

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shandur Pass.

References[]

https://www.chitraltoday.net/2019/05/31/know-some-basics-about-shandur-festival/

Books[]

• The Gilgit Game by John Keay (1985) ISBN 0-19-577466-3
• The Kafirs of the Hindukush (1896) Sir George Scott Robertson.
• To the Frontier (1984) Geoffrey Moorehouse, pp. 267–270. Hodder and Stoughton Ltd., Great Britain. Reprint: Sceptre edition 1988. ISBN 0-340-41725-0
• Shandur, Durand's Boundary Line Violation (2014) by Rai Sarfaraz Shah, Ex-MNA LC Gilgit-Baltistan

External links[]

• https://web.archive.org/web/20180125163406/http://www.visitgilgitbaltistan.gov.pk/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20100831072645/http://gilgitbaltistan.gov.pk/
• http://www.shandur.chitralstudio.com/history/^{[permanent dead link]}