Karnataka’s Kambala race concludes after months of high-speed action

The Kambala race, a display of speed and might, has wrapped up for the season.

The spectacle of Kambala, the harvest festival sport of speed and strength in the southern region of Karnataka, held largely in the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, as well as parts of Kasaragod, begins in early December, reaches its peak in January, and winds up in March. A symbol of prestige and honour, Kambala, the traditional buffalo race, is accompanied by a series of events and reflects a unique heritage embedded in the cultural fabric of rural India.

The race involves a pair of buffaloes, known as 'Konagalu' in Kannada, tied to a yoke and driven forward by a man referred to as a Kambala jockey, who runs behind them. The race is comparable to Maramadi, a harvest-season event involving oxen in Kerala.

According to Captain Brijesh Chouta, M.P., Dakshina Kannada, who has been organising Kambala in Mangaluru for the past ten years, the 800-year-old festival has undergone a significant transformation in both form and spirit. "Earlier, the races were conducted on tracks ploughed up in the fields and made slushy. Now, the number of Kambalas has spiralled, and concrete tracks are built anywhere in open fields. As many as 150 pairs of buffaloes took part in the Kambala we organized last year," he says, adding that a Kambala was recently organised in Bengaluru as well.

"A special breed of buffaloes called 'Girdelu', known to be among the fastest, is raised for Kambala races," says Sudhakar S, a native of Sullia in Dakshina Kannada and an ardent enthusiast of the sport.

"The speed of the race is at its magnificent best in events held at famed venues where records tumble year after year," he adds.

Sreenivasa Gowda, a renowned Kambala jockey, holds records in the sport and has been compared to Olympic legend Usain Bolt. He created a record by covering 100 metres in 8.96 seconds during an event in Venoor-Permuda and later improved it to 8.78 seconds at the Kakyapadavu event in the same month.

Originally conducted to propitiate the Goddess of Earth and ensure a good harvest, Kambala is now celebrated as a village festival. The event often spans several days, with the main races conducted at night under floodlights.

According to Vijaya, a Kambala committee member, the major categories in the sport include Nayeer, in which the jockey holds a plough tied to the buffalo pair; Balla, where a rope is tied to the buffaloes and the jockey runs alongside them; Adda Palai, in which the jockey stands on a wooden plank tied parallel to the muddy track; and Kane Palayi, where the jockey balances on a rounded wooden log tied to the buffaloes, often on one leg.

In 2014, Kambala courted controversy after animal rights groups raised objections and filed a petition seeking a ban, alleging cruelty to animals. The ban was later lifted, as no significant evidence of cruelty was observed during the events.

Winners are determined based on speed, measured using a stopwatch. A Kambala committee representing three districts decides the venues and dates, ensuring there is no clash between events. The schedule is typically finalised four to five months in advance, with races usually held on weekends.

The buffaloes are carefully tamed, groomed, and trained for the races, with special diets provided. Kambala jockeys also undergo rigorous training and practice ahead of the season. Many ancestral households in the region organise these events, while participants are otherwise engaged in occupations such as farming and labour.

Kambala races vary in scale and prize money. Events such as Puthur Kambala, Mangaluru Kambala, and Neyyar Kambala are considered top-tier competitions. Major events offer a cash prize of ₹3 lakh or gold of equivalent value for the winner and ₹2 lakh or gold for the runner-up. Beyond the prize money, however, Kambala remains deeply tied to the pride and prestige of agrarian communities. With the final race scheduled at Harekala Adyar on April 18, the current Kambala season comes to a close.