Celebrated in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, Kambala is an annual festival popular among the farming community of the state. The Buffalo Race is an important event in this festival.

From November till March, Kambala festival is celebrated in Mangalore and most parts of Dakshina Kannada. The festive fall on the beginning of the harvest season and was known as Karaga celebrations earlier.

According to one belief, the festival is dedicated to Lord Kadri Manjunatha, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. This recreational sport of the farming community was celebrated to please the god for whopping harvests.

According to another belief, the buffalo race sport was conducted by the royal family for pleasure and amusement. Another story connecting the Hoysala kings describe that the buffalo race competition was held to find the best war buffaloes. Today, ordinary citizens are continuing this historic event with the same pomp and prizes.

The amount of crowd drawn toward this beautiful festival is a magnificent sight to watch. There were two types of Kambalas - Pookere Kambala and Bale Kambala. 900 years ago, Bale Kambala celebrations were stopped. The only Kambala celebrated today is Pookere Kambala. It happens for two days and ends with the prize distribution.

Two buffaloes and one farmer makes a team. The farmer controls the raging bulls in mud and water mixed pathways. The fastest team gets the reward, as simple as it is! Traditionally, the single track race was famous but now double track races are conducted mostly. Only in some parts of Mangalore and Dakshina Kannada, single track races are still in action.

Types of Kambala Races

Negilu For the entry-level buffaloes without prior race experience. A specially made plow made out of a light wood represents the actual plow used in farming. It is connected to the pair of bulls while the bull controller runs along with them.

Hagga A pair of buffaloes are connected with each other. The experienced buffaloes are swifter compared to the Negilu category.

Adda Halage A wooden plank connects the two experienced buffaloes while the farmer stands on the wooden plank during the race.

Kene Halage The round-shaped wooden block is there in this race. The farmer stands on a single leg on the wooden block. The interesting part is with the two holes in the wooden block. The height of the water gushing out of the holes is proportional to the speed of the raging bull. The team with the highest gushing of water wins the competition. The most experienced farmers and bulls participate in this hardcore race. The marker set in this race determines the winners, there can be more than one winner too.

Kambala in Mangalore

Kadra Kambala or Mangalore Hobali Kambala is the other name of Kambala in Mangalore region. Kambala here is celebrated in a humongous manner than any other part in the state. Kambala has a heavy connection with Alupa Dynasty and so it is also known as Arasu Kambala (King’s Kambala). Several hundred years before, Kambala was celebrated with the procession of drum dancers.

Safety Measures: Veterinary Doctors and Ambulances are always ready to treat the injured farmers and bulls of the event. A fierce and intensive event is prone to accidents and that is part and parcel of an extreme sport. Be it Rome or Tamil Nadu or Karnataka. The spirit of the participants and spectators combined with the overall jubilance make the minor injuries look puny and trivial. Such a grand feast to appreciate with all the adorable crowd.

Month of Celebration

From the start of November to mid-March, this festival is celebrated in Mangalore and Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka. Get ready to experience the strongest farmers and swiftest buffaloes raging for glory.

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