The Kambala, Kambla or Kambula is an annual buffalo race held in the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka. Traditionally, it is sponsored by local Tuluva landlords and households in the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi of Karnataka and Kasaragod of Kerala, a region collectively known as Tulu Nadu.
The Kambala season generally starts in November and lasts until March. The Kambalas are organized through Kambala samithis (Kambala Associations), of which there are currently 18. Over 45 races are held annually in coastal Karnataka, including smaller remote villages such as Vandaru, Thonnase and Gulvadi.
Kambala is derived from 'kampa-kala', where the word 'Kampa' is related slushy, muddy field. The Dravidian origin of the word Kampa is kan+pa and 'kala' means field, where it is conducted. Another interpretation of modern Kambala is derived from 'Kamba', a pole used for water spurt during race by buffalo pairs. [1]
Kambala is a sport. [2] The Kambala racetrack is a slushy paddy field, [3] and the buffaloes are driven by a whip-lashing farmer. [4]
Traditional Kambala was non-competitive, and the pair was run one by one. In modern Kambala, the contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes. In villages such as Vandaro and Choradi, there is also a ritualistic aspect, as farmers race their buffaloes to give thanks for protecting them from diseases.
Historically, the winning pair of buffaloes was rewarded with coconuts and bananas. Today, winning owners earn gold and silver coins. [5] Some organising committees award an eight-gram gold coin to the winner. [6] In some competitions, cash prizes are awarded.
The buffaloes are decorated with coloured jhūls and head-pieces made of brass and silver (sometimes bearing the emblems of the sun and moon), and ropes which make a sort of bridle. The special towel used to cover the buffalo's back is called the paavade (Tulu:ಪಾವಡೆ).
Traditionally, there were types of Kambalas
Kori Kambla is a distinct agriculture-based celebration in Tulunadu. This refers to a kind of collective ploughing and planting on a fixed day for the enelu (Tulu: ಏಣೆಲ್) cultivation. A general race of buffaloes is known as kori (kandoe korune)[1] Kambala.
The celebration of Bale Kambala was discontinued about 900 years ago. Bale means baby. During Small kambala, the small-scale farmers prepare their field for paddy cultivation.
The kambla influenced by Natha pantha, [8] in earlier days, the Kambla starts previous day evening with tradition dance of Koraga communities mostly by men. They performing full night with following all Panchamakara madya (Alcohol), māṃsa (Meat), matsya (Fish), mudrā (Gesture), maithuna (Sexual). The Koragas were sit up through the night before the Kambla day, performing a ceremony called panikkuluni, the meaning of word sitting under the dew. They sing songs to the accompaniment of their special kind of band dudi, about their special spirit daiva Nīcha, and offer toddy and a rice-pudding boiled in a large earthen pot, which is broken so that the pudding remains as a solid mass. This pudding is called kandēl addyē, or pot pudding. [9]
Kambala has become an organised rural sport, with elaborate planning and scheduling to accommodate competitions at different places. [10] A "Kambala Committee" arranges races in several categories describing the outfitting of the buffaloes. Typical categories are:
Kambala draws large rural crowds, as it has done for the last three hundred years. [13] People bet on the buffaloes, and one can witness more than 20,000 spectators in a well-organised Kambala, egging on and cheering the buffaloes to complete the race.
In some places, night races are arranged under floodlights. [6]
The buffaloes developed for the race are carefully fed and some owners have even built separate swimming pools for competing buffaloes. [14]
Thonnase Kambala used to be held in the month of December every year at Thonnase, Hebri taluk, Udupi district and it is called Dēvara Sampradayika Kambala as it is associated with Sri Dhoomavathi, Sri Gopalakrishna and Swami Parivara in the village.
Kadri Kambala used to be held at Kadri, Mangalore and it is called Dēvere Kambla (God's Kambala) as it is associated with Sri Manjunatha Temple in that city. [10] This event was patronised by the Alupa kings of Mangalore, 300 years ago. For this reason, Kadri Kambala is also known as Arasu Kambala (King's Kambala). [10]
Many have criticised Kambala as cruel to the racing buffaloes, which are driven by whips. [15] Noted animal-rights activist Maneka Gandhi expressed concerns about the ill treatment of buffaloes during the race. While Kambala organizers contend that whips are necessary to elicit maximum speed, government officials advise the riders to be gentle on buffaloes and avoid using whips during the race. [15]
In 2014, based on lawsuits filed by animal welfare organizations, the Supreme Court of India ordered a ban on Kambala. The ban also covered Jallikattu, a sport of hands-on bull taming. A government order lifted the ban on Jallikattu in January 2017, [16] and the public asked for the ban on Kambala to be lifted, too. [17]
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017 [18] re-legalized the Kambala festival in Karnataka. [19] Then-President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, promulgated the new law on 3 July 2017. Litigation continued but was resolved by the passage of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill, 2018, which then-President Ram Nath Kovind approved on 19 February 2018. [20]
However, after the relegalization, it was found that the buffaloes were still being whipped during the race. [21]
Town/Village | Taluk | Date of Kambala | Appx. pairs | Image | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kadri | Mangalore | December | Competitive race / Much famed | ||
Vandaru | Kundapura | December | 300 | Non competitive race | |
Thonnase | Hebri | December | 100 | Non competitive race | |
Pilikula [5] | Mangalore | December/January | 150 [22] | Competitive race | |
Choradi | Kundapura | December | 150 | Non competitive rural sport | |
Gulvadi | Kundapura | December | 200 | Non competitive rural sport | |
Baradi beedu | Karkala | December | Competitive race | ||
Venur Permuda | Belthangadi | December | |||
Moodabidri | Mangalore | December | Competitive race | ||
Miyar | Karkala | January | Lava Kusa Jodukere Kambala. | ||
Katapadi beedu | Udupi | January | Competitive race | ||
Aikala Bava | Mangalore | February | Competitive race | ||
Adve, Nandikur | Udupi | January | Competitive race | ||
Pajir | Bantwala | February | |||
Yeedu | Karkala | February | |||
Puttur | Puttur | March | |||
Jappina Mogaru [6] | Mangalore | March [6] | 150 [6] | ||
Uppinangadi | Puttur | March | |||
Bangadi Kolli | Belthangadi | March | |||
Thalapady Panjala | Mangalore | March/April | |||
Althar | Udupi | March/April | |||
Parika Aramane | Udupi | November/December | |||
Hokkadi goli | Bantwala | December | |||
Handadi | Udupi | December | |||
Vaddambettu [23] | Udupi | December [23] | |||
Ajri [24] | Udupi | December | |||
Mulki seeme | Mangalore | December | Competitive race |
This is the calendar for Kambala 2023-24.
Name | Date | Location |
---|---|---|
Kakyapadavu Kambala | 18 November, 2023 | Kakyapadavu, Bantwala, Mangalore |
Bengaluru Kambala | 25 November, 2023 | Palace Grounds, Bengaluru |
Moodubidire Kambala | 2 December, 2023 | Moodubidire, Mangalore |
Baaradi Kambala | 9 December, 2023 | Baaradi beedu, Karkala, Udupi |
Naringana Kambala | 17 December, 2023 | Naringana , Bantwala(Near Deralakatte) |
Mulki Arasu Kambala | 24 December, 2023 | Mulki Arasu, Mangalore |
Mangalore Kambala | 30 December, 2023 | Mangalore Bangrakooluru |
Miyaru Kambala | 6 January, 2024 | Miyaru, Karkala, Udupi |
Ballamanja Kambala | 7 January, 2024 | Ballamanja |
Hokkadigoli Kambala | 13 January, 2024 | Hokkadigoli, near Venoor, Mangalore |
Adve Kambala | 20 January, 2024 | Adve Nandikooru, Padubidri, Udupi |
Putturu Kambala | 27 January, 2024 | Putturu, Mangalore |
Aikala Kambala | 3 February, 2024 | Aikala, Kinnigoli, Mangalore |
Jeppu Kambala | 10 February, 2024 | Jeppu(Jeppina Mogaru), Mangalore |
Vamanjoor Kambala | 17 February, 2024 | Vamanjoor, Mangalore |
Katapadi Kambala | 24 February, 2024 | Katapadi, Udupi |
Bantwala Kambala | 2 March, 2024 | Bantwala, Mangalore |
Bangadi Kambala | 9 March, 2024 | Bangadi, Belthangady, Mangalore |
Venur Kambala | 16 March, 2024 | Venur, Karkala, Udupi |
Uppinangadi Kambala | 23 March, 2024 | Uppinangadi, Mangalore |
Panapila Kambala | 30 March, 2024 | Panapila, Mangalore |
Balkunje Kambala | 6 April, 2024 | Balkunje, Mangalore |
Gurupura Kambala | 13 April, 2024 | Gurupura, Mangalore |
Tulu is a Dravidian language whose speakers are concentrated in Dakshina Kannada and in the southern part of Udupi of Karnataka in south-western India and also in the northern parts of the Kasaragod district of Kerala. The native speakers of Tulu are referred to as Tuluva or Tulu people and the geographical area is unofficially called Tulu Nadu.
Mangalore, officially known as Mangaluru, is a major industrial port city in the Indian state of Karnataka and on the west coast of India. It is located between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats about 352 km (219 mi) west of Bangalore, the state capital, 14 km north of Karnataka–Kerala border and 297 km south of Goa. Mangalore is the state's only city to have all four modes of transport—air, road, rail and sea. The population of the urban agglomeration was 619,664 according to the 2011 national census of India. It is known for being one of the locations of the Indian strategic petroleum reserves.
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Dakshina Kannada district is located in the state of Karnataka in India, with its headquarters in the coastal city of Mangalore. It is part of the larger Tulu Nadu region. The district covers an area nestled in between the Western Ghats to its east and the Arabian Sea to its west. Dakshina Kannada receives abundant rainfall during the Indian monsoon. It is bordered by Udupi district to the north, Chikmagalur district to the northeast, Hassan district to the east, Kodagu to the southeast and Kasaragod district of Kerala to the south. According to the 2011 census of India, Dakshina Kannada district had a population of 2,083,625. It is the only district in Karnataka state to have all modes of transport like road, rail, water and air due to the presence of a major hub, Mangalore. This financial district is also known as the Cradle of Indian banking.
Tulu Nadu or Tulunad, also called Bermere Srishti or Parashurama Srishti, is a region and a proposed state on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva', speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, are the preponderant ethnic group of this region. South Canara, an erstwhile district and a historical area, encompassing the undivided territory of the contemporary Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka State and Kasaragod district of Kerala state forms the cultural area of the Tuluver.
The Tulu people or Tuluvas are an ethno-linguistic and ethno-cultural group from Southern India. They are native speakers of the Tulu language and the region they traditionally inhabit is known as Tulu Nadu. This region comprises the districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka and part of Kasaragod district in Kerala, with Mangalore, Karnataka being the commercial hub. The Census report of 2011 reported a population of 1,846,427 native Tulu speakers living in India.
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Mangaloreans are a collection of diverse ethnic groups that hail from the historical locales of South Canara (Tulunaad) on the south western coast of Karnataka, India, particularly the residents native to Mangaluru.
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Kori Kambla is a distinct agriculture-based celebration in Tulunadu. This refers to a kind of collective ploughing and planting on a fixed day for the enelu cultivation. A general race of buffaloes is known as kori Kambala. It highlights the principle of cooperation in cultivation which, in turn, helped in moulding the community life of the people of Tulunadu. It is a collectively executed task in which every household participates with men and animals. Celebrated in the traditional way in the household family here every year. The villagers and the Guttinamane family celebrates the ritual with pomp and gaiety.
Kavoor is a suburban area and the name of a ward in the city of Mangalore in the Mysore division of the Indian state of Karnataka. Kannada and Tulu are the two most commonly spoken languages in Kavoor. This place got the name as "Kavoor" because of the Saint "Kuvera Maharshi" who had visited this place. It connects major cities like Surathkal, Kankanady, Kinnigoli, and Bajpe.
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