It is extremely surprising to know that the origin of rugby, a sport which is played almost in the whole of the Europe, in countries like Argentina, Australia, Scotland, Spain etc. is claimed to be a sport of originated from Manipur in India. Even though the origin of this world famous sport is accepted to be from Manipur in India, the game in this north eastern state is played with a slight twist.
This world famous game of Rugby is known as Yubi Lapki in the lace of its origin. The word Yubi Lapki literally translates to coconut snatching. There is a legend which goes behind its very different name. According to the legend, the game was an enactment of snatching the heavenly nectar pot after the Samudra Manthan, which was held on the occasion of the Yaoshang Festival at the palace of the current royal family.
The game of Yubi Lapki is mostly as same as the well-known rugby. The rules, the playing field etc. differ slightly, but are almost the same; Except for the fact that Yubi Lapki is played with a coconut instead of a ball, hence going back to the roots of the original game. The game is watched over by a score keeper, a teacher. In the olden times, it was overlooked by the current king and the winning team was to get the coconut. However, the point or the game was to have fun, and it’s still played as a game to enjoy and have fun.
