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.
A
popular quote from Kambala ( courtesy : Internet ): "Hold your breath.
Silence rules the air as thousands watch in stunned anticipation! The
man is crouching behind the buffaloes on a slive of wood attached to the
animals. Not a muscle moves. Only the wind is playing on his lock of
hair. For him the race is all that matters. Suddenly the scene explodes,
the man springs up, his hand cocked, his whip held high and the huge
animals lunge forward, bellowing, their hooves churning the muddy waters
and sending their wet spray in the hot air, their eyes wide, wild and
white - man and beast engaged in one spurt of activity and one aim -
victory."
A single race in progress
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.
Modern Kamabala
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 .
This runner can run at 40km/hr!
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.
- 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.
The "Negilu"
- 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.
- 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.
The "adda halage"
- 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.
The buffaloes.
These are water buffaloes widely used for domestic purposes and
they are farmer’s true friends in south Karnataka. They are even
worshipped and are part of farmer’s family. Racing buffaloes are male
and like warriors, specially trained.
They are most loved by the farmers
There
is a unique way of deciding the junior and senior buffaloes. It is
decided by the age of the baffaloes not the size or how many races they
have participated .Old pair tooth falls and new tooth will come when a
baffalo hit its 4th year . This goes on for its 5th and 6th year. After
6th year the baffalo gets all new teeth and becomes senior. The owners
are very expert and they can decide the age of the baffalo 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 need trainig to run!
The runner
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 runners
A fitness is one of the factor to become a runner
The locality
A good paddy field with lots ware availability nearby is considered
as ideal for Kambala track. There should be enough space for
spectators, shops , race officials to sit, hotels around the track.
Easy access to the location is also considered for deciding the track
location. Some places the tracks are maintained by landlords over the
generations.
Lots of space, water, electricity, easy reach is must for a Kambala
Kamabala track
A race in progress
One can feel the energy in the atmosphere there!
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 time
Kamabla is conducted in several parts of two districts Udupi and
Mangalore from November to March. It is conducted always on a weekend
so that it is possible for every participant to attend all the Kambalas
.
The race starts usually Saturday morning and goes on all night and
finishes Sunday afternoon. The final winners will be rewarded by the
officials during the Kambala closing ceremony conducted in Sunday
afternoon. It is watched by, on an average 20,000 spectators in a day.
It is a hit among the tourists and lot of people from different part of
city , country travel to see this race.
A 20,000 crowd in one day is very common in every Kambala
The management
There is a Kambala association for the two districts( Udupi and
Dakshina Kannada) and there is written rules and regulations for
conducting Kambala events. Each year before the season starts the
members meet and decide the 15 Kambala dates . There are associations
for each major Kambala locations which manage these events .
These
are commentators who play an important role too. They announce, talk,
comment the happenings. They thank important persons and welcome every
one. They crack jokes between the races so the spectators are not bored.
I am surprised they even thanked all the photographers, movie
personalities who were present at the occasion.
And the race begins
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.
Buffaloes being brought on a small truck
All the teams will tent around the track. The buffaloes are
worshipped 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)
Buffaloes being paired by an expert
When the event begins the buffaloes were
brought in by walking down the track with the accompaniment of drum
beats (dolanalike) .
The teams will walk down the track as the excited VIP crowd watches from behind
beats and music are part of entry
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.
It is not easy to make buffaloes ready
4-5 men are required to make the buffaloes stand near start line
Often the Kambala track water is sprayed which makes the buffaloes sense the "big event"
Finally we are ready ! observe the style of runner. Its like any other sport, the style is very important too!
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.
For single race time is the deciding factor
Races are conducted in different categories and the losers are
eliminated. The race goes all the night and two pairs are finally chosen
for the grand finale. Grand finale is attended by local stars,
politicians, heads of famous house holds and a huge number of
spectators. A big trophy and a crash prize is given during the closing
ceremony.
The spilling mud water behind the racing warriors!
When it comes to competition they really mean it!
The last category kane halage is bit different where every
participant will be rewarded whose spilling water touches the
measurement cloths.
The spilling water should touch the white cloth to win the prize
Once the race is over the buffaloes get a
nice fresh water wash and a good rest before the next race if they are
not yet eliminated!
finally the race is over !
fun time for the animals
The speed and the power of those big animals are just treat to your
eyes. The spilling colored water, the big black beasts , the runner and
the screaming crowd takes you to a different world. One might be
surprised to see such a harmless, slow and water loving animal can
show tremendous amount of power and speed.
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.
The beauty of spilling water
One
can easily guess the cost involved in , right from training buffaloes ,
hiring runner , transporting to different locations, food and lunch for
the buffaloes and the people is more than the prize if they win. And
of course there very few winners. So there is no business case in this.
All in the air!
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.
Celebrations are part of the event
MINISTRY OF CULTURE provides creative research and content solutions that inform, inspire, entertain and persuade.
