The rural sporting festival of Karnataka

Karnataka is a state in India which is situated in the southwestern region of India and is considered as one of the prosperous states. The state has progressed in terms of education, industry, agriculture, and tourism. Karnataka has many places such as Hampi, Pattadakal, Mysore, etc. which is a mixture of cultural traditions and history of the past. And also, Karnataka is a vibrant state and is known for its grand festivals such as the Gowri festival, Ugadi, Hampi Utsav, etc.

Kambala festival is one of the grand festivals of Karnataka, and the main highlight of this festival is the buffalo race. Because of this attractive sport, people from all over the world come and visit the state for witnessing this festival and the thrilling buffalo race. This race is carried out on wet fields, which is accompanied by the owners or the farmers. And the local people claim that this race was once a sport which was conducted for passing the time, but now it has become a tradition. This festival is also celebrated in Mangalore with great enthusiasm and energy. The people celebrate this festival with great zeal, and the person who wins the race also gets a prize. A few of the villages where this festival is celebrated is Bajagoli, Puttur, Kolatta, Majalu, Uppinagadi, and Bolantur.

• There are many beliefs related to this festival. Local people of Karnataka believe that this festival was actually started by the Hoysala Kings in order to find out whether they can train horses like horses or elephants. But later this race became a sport which was enjoyed by the Kings, and it can be seen that this tradition is passed on to future generations.
• Another belief is that this festival was dedicated to Lord Kadri Manjunath, who is also regarded as the avatar of Lord Shiva. Therefore, the race was held to please the Lord for a good and healthy harvest.

• The festival is two days long, and it begins with a buffalo exhibition where farmers bring their buffalos and decorate them with accessories in order to attract visitors.
• As said earlier, the main highlight of the festival is the buffalo race, where at least 130 to 140 buffaloes participate in wet fields. These buffaloes are professionally trained, and there are different categories of races, which increases the excitement as well as the competition level.
• This race continues till midnight, and the result is announced where the winner gets an amazing prize. There is a minimum of 20,000 spectators who witness this race and festival.
• This festival is celebrated in the month of November and March.