Longest Track of 155 Mts at the FIRST of its Kind Kambala in Palace Grounds, Bluru
Mangaluru: The traditional sport of Kudla has now invaded the Capital of Karnataka-Bengaluru, and the FIRST of its kind KAMBALA will be held at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru for two days on 25 and 26 November 2023 and will have the longest ‘track of 155 meters.’ It is learnt that 116 pairs of buffaloes will run in the Kambala. The track measures 155 metres against the normal 145 metre-long track, according to Ashok Kumar Rai, Puttur MLA and president of Bengaluru Kambala Committee.
Speaking as guest of honour at Mangaluru Press Club on 30 October where he was felicitated, he said that a track in Karnataka’s coastal belt, the land of ‘kambala’ events, is 147 metres long. “It has been decided to have the longest track (in Bengaluru) as ‘Kambala’ — which will be held for the first time outside the coastal belt — should be special in all aspects. The champion of the competition (owner of the buffalo pair) will get Rs 1.50 lakh in cash and two pavan gold. The winning jockey will get a gold medal. Owners of all participating pairs of buffaloes will get a shield and Rs 50,000 each as rent for the lorry used to transport the pairs to the event”.
Puttur MLA ASHOK KUMAR RAI
“The owners of 116 pairs of buffaloes have registered for the event. The committee wants to restrict the participating pairs to 125. After the release of the Kantara movie, interest in ‘kambala’ has increased among people. Police are expecting seven lakh to eight lakh spectators to the two-day event. Food will be served to 5,000 people daily. The name of the track will be decided by November 5 as the committee received 230 responses when suggestions were sought on social media. Using this occasion, we will prevail upon the State government to sanction one acre of land for building a Tulu Bhavana in Bengaluru, with a convention centre, recreation club and other amenities. A request will be sent to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allot the said land for this purpose. The proceeds of the event will be used to build the Bhavana with 50 rooms, a hall and a recreation club in the city,” the MLA said.
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Rai further said, “There will be over 250 food stalls. There will also be a separate entry for the general public, VIPs and VVIPs in addition to emergency exits. Parking arrangements will be made for 8,000 cars along with two-wheelers. All the participating buffaloes will be given a grand farewell at Uppinangady in Dakshina Kannada. The lorries transporting buffaloes will be accompanied by veterinary ambulances and veterinarians. Further, six to seven tankers of water will be transported from the coastal belt to Bengaluru for the buffaloes. Film actors Suniel Shetty, Ms Shilpa Shetty, Ms Anushka Shetty, Kannada film industry stars including Yash, Darshan and cricketer K.L. Rahul will attend the event.”
