Mudbath

My home town Moodabidri hosted its 10th annual buffalo race also called Kambala at Kadalakere Nisargadhama on Saturday January 21. The Kambala or the buffalo race is unique to Udupi & Mangalore districts.

Mudbath

Historically Kambala was the event when farmers paid tribute to their gods for protecting their crops. There used to be lot of celebration and games as part of this festive atmosphere. Some say Kambala also marked the beginning of sowing operations for the second round of crops. Traditionally, there were two types of Kambalas, Pookere Kambala and Bale Kambala. Pookere Kambala is the only variety which survives now.

Mudbath

Kambala is traditionally a simple sport. The Kambala track used for muddy field filled with slush. The contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes, controlled by a racer.

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Kambala today has become an organized, professional sports. People place massive amounts of bets on the winning buffaloes and one can witness more than 20,000 spectators in a well organized Kambala, egging and cheering the buffaloes to complete the race. As of now, more than 45 races are held annually in Coastal Karnataka. Nearly 18 Kambalas are held under the banner of Kambala Samithi and the rest are held under the auspices of temples, political patronage and aristocratic Bunt households. Kambala still remains a hugely popular sport in Coastal Karnataka.

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Being the 10th year this large rain water fed track was to witness record number of 200 pairs of Water Buffaloes. On that Saturday huge crowd had gathered to witness this folk sports. I was able to reach the venue only in the late evening and for 2 hours I took the pictures you see here. Nearing Sunset is best time in my opinion for shooting Kambala. Later most of the light will be from the overhead halogen lamps which light up the whole Kambala venue.

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

I used my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM fitted to Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. This one lens & body combo is so perfectly matched for the low light situation and fast action sports. All the photos here are taken at f/2.8, shutter speed at 1/500th of second. ISO was kept on Auto and varied with light condition.

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Kambala races take place in several different categories.

• Negilu: 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.
• Hagga : 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 : A cross wooden plank is tied to the pair and the runner stands on it while racing. This is just for the senior category.
• Kane halage: 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.

Kene Halage

Kene Halage and Adda Halage are 2 forms of the race which has very few contestants participating and is a vanishing from most Kambala races. Fortunately on this race we had 5-6 participants from both category. All the extreme water splashed photos you see here are from that category of race.

There is no fixed rule for size of the track which mostly 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 about a feet deep mud. 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 races. One gauge is at 9.375 meters which is the highest and the other one is at 8.125 meters. This year 8.125 meter mark was breached after a long time, You can see this in the last but one photo here.

Kene Halage

Kambala 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 most spectators as well as participants 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.

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Kene Halage

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

Moodabidri Kambala 2012

It is a hit among the tourists and lot of people from different part of city, country travel to see this race. My good friend dynamic realist artist Abbey Walmsley from England was there for this Kambala to photograph along with her friend Stefen. You can see her taking photograph in this photo crouching near the edge of Kambala Track.

Photographing Kambala

It is not always all that fun to take photographs of Kambala. If you are careful you may be gored or trampled by charging Buffaloes. I was able to catch one such situation where excited pair photographers met charging pair of Buffaloes near the finishing track. Trying to get that head on shot you might be risking your life. Then you have a risk of mud bath with splashing dirt soaking both you and your camera gear. My advice is better to be safe than sorry.

Kambala is Hazrdous to Photographer's Health

Kambala 2011

I had earlier posted a time table of Kambala a traditional water buffalo race in muddy waters, held from December till March. It is the native sport of Tulu Nadu region of South India.

Reflection

Kambala is traditionally a simple sport. The ‘Kambala track’ used for muddy field filled with slush. The contest generally takes place between two pairs of buffaloes, controlled by a racer.

Speed

Kambala today has become an organized, professional sports. People place massive amounts of bets on the winning buffaloes and one can witness more than 20,000 spectators in a well organized Kambala, egging and cheering the buffaloes to complete the race. As of now, more than 45 races are held annually in Coastal Karnataka. Nearly 18 kambalas are held under the banner of Kambala Samithi and the rest are held under the auspices of temples, political patronage and aristocratic Bunt households. Kambala still remains a hugely popular sport in Coastal Karnataka.

Tail Raising Performance

The photos here were taken at my home town Moodabidri which is held in a Kambala grounds of Kadlakere Nisargadhama. This large rain water fed lake was to witness over 180 pairs of Water Buffaloes. Despite the Bandh call given by the Government of Karnataka on that Saturday huge crowd had gathered to witness this folk sports. I was able to reach the venue only in the late evening and for 2 hours I took the pictures you see here. Most of the light was from the overhead halogen lamps which lit the whole Kambala fields. I used my Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 L IS USM on Canon EOS 5D mark II Camera supported by Benro C45T Carbon Fiber Monopod. My friend Mr. Parshwanath was on my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM fitted to Canon EOS 7D. So both could shoot simultaneously.

Catch them!

The races were held in Kene Halage, Hagga, ‘Adda Halage’, and Negilu categories. Kene Halage and Adda Halage are 2 forms of the race which has very few contestants participating and is a vanishing from most Kambala races.

Kene halage splash

Flying

Kambala 2011

Roping in

Bursting

More Speed

Kambala-2011

Faster

Floating

Splashing

Flying

Catching the action

Kambala the buffalo-race

I had enumerable calls inquiring dates of Kambala this year. Since many of you are interested in taking photographs of Kambala which is traditional traditional buffalo-race held in different places of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, I have collected dates from the Kambala Samithi which organizes them every year at 18 different places. Most of them fall either on Saturday or Sunday. The traditional Kambalas are not held on Amavasya (New Moon) and Sankramana days. If you are interested in either watching or photographing them, please visit them.

Kambala the buffalo-race

Kambala to be held in 2010-11:

Dec 4: Shirva Nadibettu
Dec 11: Baradi Beedu
Dec 18: Bangadi Kolli
Dec 26: Mulki Seeme
Jan 2: Aikala Bava
Jan 9: Miyar
Jan 15: Adve Nandikur
Jan 22: Moodbidri
Jan 29: Venur Permude
Feb 6: Puttur
Feb 12: Pilikula Nisargadhama
Feb 19: Katapady Beeedu
Feb 26: Edu
Mar 5: Puttur
Mar 12: Uppinangady
Mar 22: Talapady Panjala

Kambala the buffalo-race