Bengaluru: As Bengaluru city braces for first of its kind Kambala buffalo racing event, lakhs of people are expected to attend the mega event, sources said. The centuries-old Kambala, which has been traditionally held in coastal Karnataka, will be held in the capital city of Bengaluru for the first time. The day night event is scheduled to be held on Nov 25 and 26 at the Palace Grounds as per the organizers.
Preparations for the event are in full swing as Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar besides superstar Rajinikanth and actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Anushka Shetty will attend the event. An official said that more than 50 organizations of different languages and castes of the coast are involved in the preparations.
Also read: Traditional buffalo race 'Kambala' held at Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka
Bengaluru Kambala will be held in 70 acres of palace ground in Bangalore. Ahead of the mega event, the theme song 'Bangalore Kambala Namba Kambala' was released by the organizers. This theme song has lyrics by V. Manohar, music composition by Gurukiran and programming by Manikanth Kadri. More than 150 buffalo pairs are scheduled to participate in the racing event which have already been registered for Bengaluru Kambala.
The participating buffaloes will be given a grand welcome at Hassan and Nelamangala before the festival gets underway. Kambala Committee Vice President Gunaranjan Shetty said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the Bengaluru Kambala. Kambala as a folk sport of coastal Karnataka is a competition of race among richly bred buffaloes in a mud field.
The sport is mostly played in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi district. This sport, which was organized by coastal farmers for their entertainment after harvesting rice, is now gaining popularity throughout the state.
