NOVEMBER 2007 E-Magazine - Pravasi Today

SINK into a cane chair on the
lawn and enjoy afternoon tea as a
Iborder.
peacock emerges from the
Through the archway,
exoticlooking horses are returning to
the stables from a day in the country,
and stable boys converse in the local
Marwar.
Today, great efforts are being
made to maintain the purity of India's
indigenous horse breeds; none more
so than the Marwari, native to the
state of Rajasthan. The horse has
distinctive pointed ears that curve at
the tips, and was bred for speed,
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TOURISM
AN EQUINE REVIVAL
TURNS BACK TIME
RUPERT SAGAR-MUSGRAVE travelled to India to unravel
the history of Rajasthan's indigenous Marwari horse,
and met the Rajput nobles leading its revival
Pravasi Today ✦ November 2007
endurance, bravery, and resilience to
the desert conditions. Its origin is a
keenly debated issue. It is thought to
have evolved in the Marwar region,
south of Jodhpur, but it was not
referred to by this name until the
1850s.
Rajputs are historically a ruling
caste of warriors, dependent on their
cavalry to wage war over territories
and defend their Hindu region from
M u s l i m i n v a s i o n s . H a v i n g
exclusively bred Marwari since the
12th century, only they were
permitted to ride them. As their
patronage declined, so, too, did
numbers, which reached a critically
low level post-Independence. The
present Rajputs are taking up the reins
once again, creating a resurgence of
interest in the breed.
Stories of this powerful union are
recorded in Rajasthani literature, art
and folk song. The most famous
recalls the horse Chetak, who was
fatally wounded in battle, but carried
Maharana Pratap Singh away to
safety, before dying in his master's
arms. Rajputs were so reliant on
Marwari that the horses were elevated