Kambala will be held as part of Mysuru Dasara on October 18-19

Kambala, the popular traditional sport involving race of buffaloes in slushy field, will be featured in this year’s Mysuru Dasara on October 18 and October 19.

Talking to reporters in Mangaluru on Friday (September 25, 2026) after holding meeting with representatives of owners of buffaloes taking part in the Kambala in Mysuru Dasara, Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai said the race will be held at the newly created 147-meter ‘Kare’ (slushy field) near the VTU College campus in Mysuru. The Kare will be named as ‘Vijaya Dashami’.

Nearly 160 pairs of junior and senior pairs of buffaloes, selected by the Mysuru Dasara Kambala organising committee, will take part in the Kambala that starts on October 18. The events will go on till October 19 afternoon when prizes will be distributed. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will witness the Kambala on either of the two days.

Mr. Rai, who was earlier involved in holding Kambala in Palace Grounds in Bengaluru, said the Government has given green signal to hold Kambala as part of Mysuru Dasara, following rejection of petition in High Court to restrict the traditional sports event to Dakshina Kannada.

“Mysuru Dasara attracts visitors from across the world. Holding Kambala here will help take the traditional event to the world stage,” he said while brushing aside criticism that holding the event outside Dakshina Kannada will bring down credibility of the traditional event.

Mr. Rai said more than 200 owners of buffaloes have shown interest in taking part in the event. Based on the recent timing of the buffaloes in earlier Kambalas, the Kambala organising committee will select about 160 buffalo pairs that will take part in the event to be held separately for buffaloes in junior and senior categories.

The winning pair in the senior category will get a prize money of ₹65,000 and 16 gram of gold, while the runner-up will get an honorarium and 8-gram gold coin. The winning pair in the junior category will get ₹50,000 and 8-gram gold coin, while the one coming second will receive an honorarium and 5-gram gold coin.

Journey from the coast to the Kare

Owners of participating buffaloes, along with their buffaloes, will assemble at Puttur and leave to Mysuru by road from Mahalingeshwara temple at 10.30 a.m. on October 16. They will break for lunch in Madikeri and reach the 5-acre buffalo staying area in Mysuru on the same day. There will be a trial Kambala in the newly created ‘Kare’ on October 10, involving about five pairs of buffaloes.

Around the Kare, organisers have created three separate stages. While one stage will be earmarked for holding the function, the other will be for VIP visitors, and the third stage will be the viewing area from where more than 15,000 people can see the races.

Spectators will be issued passes free of cost to watch the proceedings in three separate batches. Apart from the races, the venue will also offer local coastal cuisine. More number of handlers of buffaloes from the region are likely to take part in the event and have a glimpse of Mysuru Dasara festivities, the MLA said.

State Kambala Association president Devi Prasad Shetty also spoke.