Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2022 September 20

= September 20 =

Origin of polo
The origin of polo is said to be "Persia (Iran)" by Encyclopedia Britannica but the Guinness World Records says the origin of polo is "Manipur". The Guinness World Records clarified the record of the origin of polo as Manipur in its 1991 edition, from its former record, Persia mentioned in 1984 edition. In the 1991 edition of Guinness World Records, it states "Polo can be traced to origins in Manipur state c. 3100 B.C., when it was played as Sagol Kangjei. Other claims are of it being of Persian origin, having been played as pulu c. 525 B.C."

The same Guinness World Records' fact is re highlighted in various renowned newspapers and magazines like these - At the same time, Encyclopedia Britannica says "polo was first played in Persia (Iran) at dates given from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD." I respect both the sources and I want both information to be added in the article citing their sources properly. What does the community think regarding this? Shall we add both the information or only one? --Haoreima (talk) 16:34, 20 September 2022 (UTC)


 * Hello, Haoreima. It is not the job of Wikipedia to decide between sources, and if equally reliable sources disagree, an article should say so, without trying to reach a conclusion. But I note that WP:RSNP says There is consensus that world records verified by Guinness World Records should not be used to establish notability. Editors have expressed concern that post-2008 records include paid coverage. ColinFine (talk) 18:17, 20 September 2022 (UTC)


 * If anybody is feeling ambitious, they might find source(s) linking Sagol Kangjei (loosely translated as "horse hockey") with the Kangjeiron Purana. Here's a possibility:
 * --136.56.52.157 (talk) 21:35, 20 September 2022 (UTC)


 * The following source could be helpful for research, but perhaps is not suitable for WP:
 * --136.56.52.157 (talk) 21:48, 20 September 2022 (UTC)


 * I don't consider The Guinness Book of World Records 1991 a reliable source. Can one show a historic continuity through five millenia from sagol kangjei to modern polo? The claim is based on a puya known as Kangjeirol, purportedly a historical account recorded by contemporary scholars. Note that our Puya article contains a caveat: "Saroj Parratt noted in 2005 that none of these Puyas were yet dated by professional historians or subject to serious textual-critical scrutiny.[2] Consequently, she criticized the tendency of local authors to treat Puyas as reliable sources in their reconstruction of Manipuri history.[3] Scholars have noted that Puyas had been forged by Meitei nationalists to support their reinvention of history and tradition.[4] [5] [6]" Also, it seems conceivable to me that essentially the same form of sport was invented independently more than once.  --Lambiam 08:15, 21 September 2022 (UTC)