Kambala | A Breath taking Sport of Coastal Karnataka...

These are the glimpses of Kuchhur Kambala

Kambala, the most beautiful and a breath taking sport of coastal Karnataka.Kambala means the racing of buffalos in wet fields. Since the weather of this region is tropical, the buffalo race is usually held after the rainy season.Kambla Season generally starts in November and lasts till march.
History tells us that Alupa Kings, who ruled the region between 12th and 17th centuries, were the first to introduce Kambala to the Tulu region for the purpose of entertainment. Since then this rural sport has grown in popularity and is attracting  a huge number of spectators to witness the show that highlights tremendous energy, performance, speed and training.
The venue of Kambala is a veritable canvas offering an interesting spectacle – from a man walking with a pair of buffaloes, blowing of horns, the brass band playing, and curious viewers. Various stalls and the racing field. The event pulls visitors and spectators from all surrounding villages and towns that converge at one single place – Kambala.
The racing field is thoroughly ploughed and properly leveled with one-foot level of water covering it. The twin racing tracks are known as ‘Jodukere Kambalas’. The stretch of the racing track in a fully-fledged Kambala is 450 ft long and the destination is known as ‘Manjotti’, which slopes upwards to reduce the speed of the galloping buffaloes.
There are various types of Buffalo races with a certain pair being trained for a particular race. Full fledged Kambalas usually have three types of competition namely, Haggada Ota or Rope race, Kene Halaga Ota or Wooden ply race, Halage Ota or leveler plank race.

In the Haggada Ota or Rope race, the Pane is tied along with the yoke and the rope in between the two buffaloes, while the racer holds the rope. The pair reaching the destination first is declared as the winner.

In the Kene Halaga Ota or wooden ply race, the wooden ply is tied to the yoke and the racer keeps one foot or both feet on the wooden ply. Depending on the speed the buffaloes sprint splashes of water emant through the holes made through the ply. This is a spectacular race and the water splashes to a height of 10 – 15 ft.

In Halage Ota or Leveler plank race, the T Shaped wooden plank is tied between the buffaloes and the racer stands on the planks holding the rope and races. Here two pairs are made to run parallel and the victory belongs to the pair reaching the manjotti first.