The Gritty Lives Of Kambala Buffaloes: How Karnataka Trains Its Fastest Athletes | India News

Last Updated:November 21, 2025, 15:45 IST

In Kambala, buffaloes are not farm animals. They are trained competitors, treasured assets and community symbols. Owning a strong Kambala buffalo pair is pride and responsibility.

On the misty coastlines of Tulu Nadu in Karnataka, where paddy fields glisten under early morning light, the sport of Kambala arrives every year with a familiar thundering heartbeat. Two buffaloes sprint through a slushy track, a runner balancing behind them, mud exploding in every direction.

Villagers roar, drums echo across the fields and tradition meets raw adrenaline. But beneath the spectacle lies a quieter, more enduring truth: Kambala is, first and always, a buffalo’s sport. Everything else comes later.

The strength, discipline and lineage of the buffaloes decide whether a race becomes folklore or fades without a trace. Their diets, their training, their bonds with humans and the agricultural history they carry are the real machinery powering this ancient coastal race.

The Buffalo: Athlete, Heritage and Identity

In Kambala, buffaloes are not farm animals. They are trained competitors, treasured assets and community symbols. Owning a strong Kambala buffalo pair is as much pride as responsibility.

These animals require years of nurturing, feeding, bathing and practice sessions in shallow ponds or mini mud tracks. Attention is constant. Training is intense. The emotional attachment between the handlers and the animals is unmistakable.

Vijaykumar Kanginamane, secretary of the Karnataka Rajya Kambala Association, explains it in simple way: “80 percent of the buffalo owners are in groups. Only 20 percent of the buffaloes have individual owners. It needs a lot of dedication to bring up a buffalo for Kambala and train it for years. We bring young calves from North Karnataka region. Few are brought from Arakalagudu, Hassan side as well. Talawara and Gowri are the leading breeds suitable for Kambala. Murra is not suitable.”

Where the Buffaloes Come From

Most Kambala buffaloes begin life far away from the coast. They are sourced as calves from North Karnataka, Hassan, Arakalagudu and surrounding regions where breed lines are strong. These youngsters are not expensive at the start.

Families with modest means purchase them for a few thousand rupees, raise them with care and feed them horsegram, greens and nutrient-rich fodder. Once the buffalo starts showing potential, it is sold to Kambala groups or individual enthusiasts who begin formal race training.

This informal ecosystem forms the unnoticed backbone of the sport. Rural households raise calves for survival, while Kambala teams buy them for performance. It keeps the buffalo lineage healthy and thriving.

A Buffalo’s Lifespan on the Track

A well-trained Kambala buffalo can race for 20 to 22 years, after which it is retired. These are long careers by any sporting standard. The longevity comes from strict care routines: daily baths, oil massages, precise diets and regular movement in water tracks that build stamina without strain. Aging buffaloes are never abandoned; they remain with owners, treated with the respect of a retired athlete.

Training: The Art that Happens Out of Sight

Behind the dramatic bursts of speed seen on race days lies months of quiet preparation. Buffaloes practice in shallow, water-filled lanes where handlers assess stride length, coordination and temperament.

During off-season months, the animals are kept on high-protein diets and monitored for joint health. The training is not just physical. It is also relational.

Each buffalo pair usually has a fixed runner. This trio—two buffaloes and their runner must understand each other instinctively. Their rhythm must match in mud, in water, in tension and in noise.

Kanginamane emphasises this bond: “Generally a buffalo pair will have a fixed runner, so that the trio have good understanding of each other.”

Breeds That Outrun the Rest

Kambala insiders know the breeds that can survive and excel. Talawara and Gowri breeds dominate the field because of their muscular build, stamina and instinctive response to training. Murra buffaloes, despite being valued elsewhere, do not fit Kambala requirements due to their gait and overall body mechanics.

The sport depends on these local genetic lines, selected over generations for their strength and temperament.

The 2025 High Court Ruling: A Turning Point

This year, Kambala entered a new phase of public and legal attention. In October 2025, the Karnataka High Court dismissed much of PETA’s petition requesting that Kambala events be restricted only to coastal districts. The court ruled that the state government may permit Kambala events outside Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, provided regulations are followed.

The judgement highlighted an important argument: Kambala is cultural heritage, not a local practice to be fenced off. At the same time, the court insisted on regulatory oversight and clarity around animal welfare standards.

It left open one issue regarding organising races near ecological zones such as the Pilikula Biological Park, Mangaluru signalling that expansion must balance tradition with environmental care.

For buffalo owners, the ruling means more venues, more events and more opportunities. For organisers, it means crafting stricter guidelines to ensure both safety and authenticity. The buffalo, once confined to the paddy fields of the coast, is now poised to become a state wide sporting icon.

Economics: The Invisible Engine Powered by Buffaloes

The buffaloes generate an entire economy that runs quietly alongside the sport. Trainers, handlers, veterinarians, fodder suppliers, farm labour, event organisers and rural breeders all depend on the Kambala cycle.

Major events attract thousands of spectators and create seasonal income for small businesses. For many rural families, raising buffalo calves to sell to Kambala teams is a livelihood. As the sport expands, this economy expands with it.

The Emotional Landscape of a Race

Every Kambala event carries the same electric moment: silence before the sprint. The buffalo pair stands still, nostrils flaring, muscles alive. The runner positions himself. Then comes the whistle.

The animals leap forward, water explodes beneath their hooves and the crowd roars. That split-second transformation from calm to cyclone is what makes Kambala unforgettable. It is also the clearest reminder of why buffaloes, not humans, are the central protagonists of this tradition.

The Road Ahead

As Kambala spreads beyond its coastal cradle, its future will be shaped by how well Karnataka can balance heritage, animal welfare, regulation and sport. Buffaloes remain at the heart of this balance. Their training, lineage and well-being will define whether Kambala stays a cultural gem or becomes a contested spectacle.

For now, in the watery tracks of southern Karnataka, the buffaloes continue to run, carrying centuries of memory, the pride of farming families and the new promise of a broader stage.