Kambala: The race of the buffaloes

What is Kamabla

A popular sport of a buffalo race in  Tulu naadu region of south India conducted during summer season. A pair of buffalos are made to run in a muddy water field  and a winner will be chosen . On as average 100-130 pairs of buffaloes and  20000 spectators  participate each Kambala. There are 45 known kamablas presently held between the month of November to March out of which 15 are conducted under Kambala association ( Kambala samithi) on each weekends.

History:

There are multiple opinions on the  origin of  Kambala. Some claim it was  started by kings and some say  farmers started Kambala . The history of Kambala goes to 1000 years ago to the age of kings.  The  traditional Kambala started  as a part of celebrations and entertainment  after a heavy farming work  after the end of rainy season. Over the years it flourished  in to a big sport or  kings , landowners of Tulu naadu ( Tulu region)  and it became  part of the society.   Traditional kamabla is still  in observance in  some part of south Kanara.

Another popular  form of Kamabla also born  which was more like a sport, a race between two pairs of buffalo which is current form of Kambala.  Many kings and rich landlords organized these races and  the final  winner will receive a big amount of money. And today this form of  Kambala is a big event in south Kanara and for many  it is a matter of pride, prestige , glory and money. For spectators  this is  pure entertainment and relaxation after a hardworking  farming days are over during the year before sowing the second round of crops.

Early days one track( kare, ಕರೆ)  is used  for the race but from past 50 years  double track ( ಜೋಡು ಕರೆ ) is in use  for the  races. But single track is also in use for traditional Kambala in some regions  for conducting  time based races and training .A runner will make a pair of Buffaloes run on a track of muddy water. The runner will be driving those buffaloes all along the race. The time is  recorded or  he gets   another competitor  on the other track to decide who is best  .

Kambala   has got different categories as every other sport in the world.

1. Negilu( ನೇಗಿಲು : Plough)  category:  The runner will hold the  plough ( it is not actual plough which is heavy and bulky, it is just a representation of  which is tied to pair of buffalo. This type is mostly for the Junior buffaloes or entry level buffaloes. But there is again a junior , senior rounds  in this race.
2. Hagga ( ಹಗ್ಗ: rope)  category : A rope is directly tied to the buffalo pair. And this is for  Senior buffaloes  as the speed is more here and the participating buffaloes are well experienced. This also has a Junior, senior levels.
3. Adda halage( ಅಡ್ಡ ಹಲಗೆ: cross wooden block ) category : A cross wooden plank is tied to the pair and the runner  stands on it while racing. This is just  for the senior category.
4. Kane halage (ಕಣೆ  ಹಲಗೆ: round wooden block)    : A round wooden block where the runner  stands on it on his single leg. There will be two holes in the block out of which the water forces out while running. The height of the water forcing out is measured to choose the winner. The more the speed is more the water height is. And this is only for senior most category.

These are  water buffaloes widely used for domestic purposes and  they are farmer’s true friends in south Karnataka. They are even worshiped and are part of farmer’s family. Racing buffaloes are  male and  like warriors, specially trained.

There is a unique way of deciding the junior and senior buffaloes. It is decided by the age of the buffaloes not the size or how many races they have participated .Old pair tooth falls and new tooth will come when a buffalo hit its 4th year . This goes on for its 5th and 6th year. After 6th year the buffalo gets all new teeth and becomes senior. The owners are very expert and they can decide the age of the buffalo by just looking at its teeth!

The training of buffaloes.

To train the racing buffaloes, owners build a track near their  home and make them run daily . The owners feed them with most nutritious  foods. During races they even get fruits like apples , oranges . They get special massages , some body treatments as well. Before the race owners are allowed to train on the actual racing track on which they are going to compete. The path for success is not always simple !It is rough and sometime bloody as well!

They probably are the most attractive people seen in Kambala!

These are also specially trained people and one can easily spot them in the crowd. They are handsome, nicely shaped and very athletic . As one can guess they are like a sport persons. The owners hire them for the year and ask them to run all of their pairs of buffaloes. One runner might get multiple deals from different owners depending on his popularity. A good runner paid heavily and if he wins the bonus is also paid. Currently the deal goes 2 lakhs ( $4500) per year for a   reputed runner to participate in all of the kambalas.

The Kambala track

There is no fixed rule for size of the track but it also depends on the availability of the space on the locality .Normally  it is  between  120 meters to 145 meters long and 8-12 meters wide.  There is a thick layer of mud and then water on it. The thumb rule is water is filled in the track  so that  it completely contains the mud( close to 1ft) .  The tracks are called by name so it is  easy for communication. In the middle of the track there are two strips of  white cloth  tied across the track  which are used as height measurements for Kane halage ( round wooden block) races. One gauge is at  9.375 meters ( called 7 1/2 kolu :ಕೋಲು ) which is the highest  and the other one is at 8.125 meters (  called 6 1/2 kolu :ಕೋಲು) .

The Buffaloes are brought  to Kambala place on a vehicle along with 5-6  people  who maintain them and  help in the ” launch” of the buffaloes.All the teams will   tent around the track. The  buffaloes are worshiped  first and tied together by expert before the race begins. ( Maintaining a right amount of gap between them is very important. Small gap results in accidents or falling down and a big gap makes buffaloes go out of control). When  the event begins  the buffaloes were brought in by walking down the track with the accompaniment of drum beats (dolanalike) .

First round starts by  eliminating  the slowest  pairs. This is done by time counting method.  The competing team gets ready , with  runner holding the plough or the rope and other members making the buffaloes stand  near the start line.  With everything in correct position runner start petting  the beasts with a nicely decorated  cane initiating the “launch” .Time is calculated to reach the finish line in case of single race.  But if it is race between two pairs it takes longer, sometimes   15-20 minutes to make both  buffalo pairs stand near the start line as they  have to be  launched  simultaneously.

The launch

It is not easy to control pair of 3 tonne beast when the race starts. They frequently beat and make them very angry which results in higher speeds. More than 4-5 people hold the buffaloes and make them ready for the run. Once everything is perfect they release and the runner starts driving these big animals.

Speed and Power

The Speed and the power The speed in which they run is just stunning. A good record is 140 meters track is covered in 11.306 seconds. That is 100 meters is covered in 8.07 seconds and that in a muddy water track!! Remember the Olympic record for speed is 100 meters in 9.58 seconds. So the speed of the buffaloes and the runner is 45 km/hr!!. But of course the runner is not actually running by himself he is just holding the rope or the small plough( negilu) so he gets little assistance from running buffaloes.

Kambala  is  an event full of happenings , for some it is life, for some it is pride, glory passion and prestige . Some treat this as their war of life .For some it is loosing money,  loosing life but for some it is like hitting jackpot. Some earn money but some loose.  Many families gather and unite at Kambala  but some break because of Kambala. Many make friends and some make foes too. Friends turn enemies and enemies turn friends. Kamabla is pure culture and tradition for south kanara.