Kambala Festival – Buffalo Race

GS Paper I Art and Culture

Context:

Kambala, a popular buffalo racing contest of the coastal Karnataka region, is set to begin in Bengaluru this weekend.

The event is being organized by Tulukoota Bengaluru and buffalo racing teams from coastal Karnataka.

Kambala is a buffalo race held in Coastal Karnataka districts (Dakshina Kannada and Udupi) during the winter months when farmers harvest their paddy crops.
It is dedicated to an incarnation of the Hindu God Shiva – Lord Kadri Manjunatha.

Kambala

It is usually held after the southwest monsoon, once the paddy is harvested.
The race is held on two parallel tracks filled with mud and water. Each pair of buffaloes will also have a jockey, or ‘Kambala runner‘ to control and command the animals on the track.
- The team that wins qualifies for higher rounds till a champion emerges.
Kolu: Apart from winning the race, targets also include splashing water; in fact, some winners are even declared on the amount of water splashed; this is called ‘kolu’.
The Kambala was banned due to animal cruelty during this race in 2014,
However in 2017, under (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, Kambala festival was re-legalised as it was a traditional sport.

The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Act, 1960:

The Animal Welfare Board of India came into existence in 1962 under Section 4 of the Act.

Objectives:

The Act prevents unnecessary pain or suffering on animals.
The Act enshrines the guidelines regarding the experimentation on animals for scientific purposes and empowers a committee to make rules with regards to such experiments.
The Act restricts the exhibition and training of performing animals. Both the terms ‘exhibit’ and ‘train’ are separately defined under Section 21 of the Act.

News Source: The Hindu