The Birthplace of Badminton

As early as the 1870s, British officers stationed in Poona (a garrison of the British Empire) developed a variation of the ‘battledore and shuttlecock’ game – which was very popular at the time. This newly derived game was called ‘Poona Game’ and the rules are said to have been drawn up here first (said to have been at Ammunition Factory in Khadki), in 1873. Later on, the game was carried back to England by the officers from Poona, re-dubbed ‘badminton’, was then further developed into the game we now know, today. #LBBTip: Here’s our guide to badminton courts you can play at, in Pune.