Polo at the palace | Vikram Rathore

(Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail)
Ex-Army Officer Turns Heritage Fort into Polo and Luxury Resort Hub

Vikram Singh Rathore, a former army officer and passionate polo player, has successfully combined his love for heritage and equestrian sports at a restored hillside fort near Jaipur.

After years at the Rajasthan Polo Club, Rathore left in 2009 and decided to pursue his own ventures. By 2012, he began restoring the 14th-century Mundota Fort and Palace, a historic jagir dating back to Emperor Akbar’s era. Alongside the restoration, he set up a polo ground and moved his polo horses there.

In 2017, the Mundota Fort and Palace opened as a 38-room heritage hotel and polo resort. Today, it has expanded to 163 rooms and is a popular wedding venue, also featured in series like Made in Heaven and The Royals.

Rathore’s passion for polo continued alongside hospitality. In 2017, he co-owned the Team Achievers polo team, which has since won the Indian Open Championship eight consecutive times. He has also mentored rising stars, including Jaipur royal scion Padmanabh.

By 2023, Rathore and other enthusiasts developed three more polo grounds in Mundota, and today the village boasts five polo grounds and four riding complexes with around 400 horses, establishing it as a major equestrian hub.

His daughter, Divyakriti Rathore, trained in dressage, won a gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games and became the first female equestrian Arjuna Award winner in 2023. The next goal for the father-daughter duo is the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

From restoring history to building an equestrian empire, Rathore’s journey shows how passion, vision, and risk-taking can create a world-class heritage and sports destination.