From coast to capital, Bengaluru Kambala makes a splash

Kambala: A traditional sport of Karnataka, first documented in 1970 that involves racing of buffaloes in slushy paddy fields, begin at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru Kambala is the first in the State capital, part of an effort to popularise it & promote breed conservation

The cries of “Bengaluru Kambala, Namma Kambala” rent the air as hundreds of pairs of colourfully-decked buffaloes and their athletic jockeys took to the jodu kare or double slush tracks, marking the beginning of the Bengaluru Kambala at Palace Grounds in the city on Saturday.

The two-day event is the first ever Kambala (slush track buffalo race) to be held in the State capital. The unique traditional sport from the coastal region of Karnataka captured pan-Indian imagination through Rishab Shetty’s 2022 blockbuster film, Kantara. The current edition in Bengaluru is part of the effort to popularise it among the urban population and promote it for breed conservation of the Indian buffalo.

On Saturday, blanketed by overcast skies, over 180 pairs of buffaloes and their jockeys began participation across six categories — negilu hiriya, negilu kiriya, hagga hiriya, hagga kiriya, adda halage and kane halage — in the mega event that was witnessed by lakhs of wide-eyed spectators.

The first five categories are contests of speed: the pair of buffaloes that runs the fastest, wins. The last category, kane halage, is a display of force. The competing teams must splash water on the banners tied at a height of 7.5 feet and 6.5 feet at different points in the track. The higher the buffaloes spray water while they run, the greater their chances of winning.

This is also the first competitive kambala to have the longest track at 155 metres against the usual length of 145-147 metres. 

The animals were transported in lorries from several taluks of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragodu, traversing an arduous journey of more than 300 kilometres along the lush Western Ghats to the IT city, accompanied by a team of owners, runners, caretakers and helpers.

To ensure no harm befalls the animals, each team also brought drums filled with 300 litres of water from the wells of Karavali for drinking and bathing purposes.