Kambula - Tulupedia

The List of Kambula Held from November 2022 to April 2023 is available here. Click Here

Kambala/Kambula or buffalo race is one of the prominent sports held by native landlords and farmers of Tulu Nadu. People from the Tuluva community from all over the world come here during the festival to witness this unique buffalo race. In this sport, buffalo races are held on specially prepared muddy & slushy fields. Before the race, the buffalos are trained properly and their health conditions are also monitored. The winners of this competition are awarded prizes. Let us understand the Kambula briefly in this article. These sports shows are conducted seasonally, ie, it starts in November and lasts till March. In earlier days, this bull race was held for entertainment, but now, participating and winning in this race is a sign of status in the Tuluva society.

Origin of the word Kambala and Kambula:

There are several names for this sport, they are Kambula, Kambala & Kambala. Let us see the derivation of each word as predicted by Tulu researchers. We referred to Tulu researcher Sri Hosabettu Vishwanatha’s article for this. [1]

The name Kambula is a combination of Kan & Pola (Kan+Pula). The word Kan(Kanni) means soft, tender, or fine. The word Pula means agricultural field. Hence the word Kambula refers to a soft muddy land where the buffalo race takes place. We can observe the sound of Kan in some unique words of Tulu, such as Kanni-Ponnu (younger girl), Kanni-Panthi (Tender Grass), etc.

The word Kambola is a combination of Kan+Pola, where Pola is the agricultural field.

Origination of Kambala

There are two possibilities. The first one is, Tulu words Kampa and Kala combined together, and hence the word Kambala is formed. Here, the Tulu word Kampa/Gampa means muddy or slushy field. The word Kala is a well-known and popular word that is used to mean the field. Another possibility is, the combination of Tulu sounds Kampa+aLa. Here, Kampa is formed by Kan + Pa, where Kan means soft ;and Pa is an areal attribute (we can notice this areal attribute in places like Bajape, Malpe, Didupe etc). Ultimately this word Kampa is combined with KaLa(field) to form the word KambaLa. Another possibility behind the formation of the word Kambala is by the combination of Kamba + La. Here Kamba means a post and La indicates water spurt during buffalo race.

History of Kambula

The history of Kambala can be traced back more than one thousand years. In earlier days, the Kambula was sponsored by kings or higher authorities during the rule of Tuluva kings. This is a unique sport where farmers are encouraged for their running skills and awarded with prizes, also the participation of farmers in this competition gives a special status to them. This sport is arranged to give strength and entertainment to buffaloes that play a vital role in agriculture as well as prepare the agricultural land for a rich harvest. There were several varieties of Kambulas performed in past centuries but presently only a few kinds of Kambula remain active. There are some beliefs that Kambula is held to please Lord Shiva for abundance in harvest, wealth, and prosperity. In earlier days, the winner of Kambula was awarded Coconut and Banana, but nowadays gold & silver coin or cash prize is given with a certificate of participation.

Structure of racetrack

The race track is wide enough to run two pairs of buffaloes simultaneously. Its length is about 200 meters. This path is slushy and soft. A desired amount of sand is spilled over the track to avoid sticking of soil and filled with water. This lane is called Kere in Tulu.

In earlier days, the agricultural field was used (after crop harvesting was over) for Kambula. But nowadays dedicated race tracks are built over there.

Based on lanes, there are two types of Kambulas are there, they are

Jodukere Kambula
Ontikere Kambula

Jodukere Kambula

Jodukere Kambula fields have two Kere (lanes), Hence the name Jodukere. JōDu means duel, double, or twin. These lanes are called mUDAyi kere and paDDAyi kere. The two lanes are divided with a divider. The starting end & finishing ends of the lanes have swags of mango leaves, which are used to indicate the starting and finishing points of the tracks. The starting end has a sloping path used to get down into the lane. At the finishing end, there is a raised bank to minimize the speed of the buffaloes, this raised bank is called ManjoTTi in the Tulu language. Here two pairs of buffaloes are driven simultaneously in both lanes.

In earlier days, the agricultural field was used (after crop harvesting was over) for Kambula. But nowadays dedicated race tracks are built over there.

The Jodukere Kambula fields are named with two names which are relevant to each other.

Some popular Kambula fields in Tulunad:

Venoor- Permude – Surya Chandra
Baradi Beedu – Surya Chandra
Mulki seeme – Moodu Padu
Ikala Bava – Kanthabaare Budabaare
Miyaru – Lava Kusha
Adve-Nandikoor – Koti Chennaya
Moodubidire – Koti Chennaya
Katapadi Beedu – Moodu Padu
Thalapday Panjala – Soorya Chandra
Panapila Nandottu – Jaya Vijaya
Jappina Mogaru – Jaya Vijaya
Vamanjoor Thiruvailu – Sankupoonja Devupoonja
Kakkepadavu – Sathya Dharma
Puttur – Koti Chennaya
Uppinangadi – Vijaya Vikrama
Surathkal Madhava Nagara – Rama Lakhshmana

Ontikere Kambula

This type of Kambula also has two lanes, but the race of buffalo is performed in either lane. The two lanes are called mUDAyi kere and paDDAyi kere. Here, only one pair of buffaloes are driven in either one lane at a time. The total time taken by the pair of buffaloes to run is recorded and the buffalo pair that completes the run in the shortest time is declared the winner. Thonse Padumane Kambula is one of the popular Ontikere Kambula.

Types of Kambula:

Arasu kambula
Dela kambula
Karè kambula
Kudi kambula
Poḍi kambula

Arasu kambula: This Kambula is held in Baakimaaru Kanda (crop field) of PaDupaNambur palace of Mulki seeme. This Kambula has a history of about 400 years. This Arasu Kambala, which has been under the rule of the kings since the past, has been running since 1971 under the leadership of the kings of the region with the help of donors, without breaking the tradition with a modern touch. Even though all these programs are held under the leadership of regional kings, the kings not only cannot come near the call of the field but also cannot see the carpet and have to stay in the palace with fasting. Thus Mulki Arasu Kambal is different from other Kambal. The Arasu Kambala of the Mulki region is very special, before the Kambala takes place, special prayers are offered at Bappanadu Durgaparameshwari temple, the deity of Magane, and Puja is offered to Chandranatha Swamy, Padmavati Amma and Naga Devas of the palace. Then Erubanta Nemotsava is held by the Nalike community.

At first, they come to the Kambula field with the buffalo belonging to the Mulki Badagahitlu Kanthu Serigara family and then they drive the Buffalo once into the field. Then the buffalo belonging to the Kings of Mulki seeme is brought to Kambula field with Prasada of God/Goddess & it is also driven once in the field, before driving the buffalo the Prasada is spilled over the buffalo tracks. Then the Erubanta and the Kudure (horse spirit) perform a dance in front of the palace, get the Boolya, and then formalities will be over.