Founder-President of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Sangha Sudhakar S. Shetty appeals to scrap ‘Dasara Kambala’

Mysuru: Former President of Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) and Founder-President of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Sangha, Mysuru, Sudhakar S. Shetty, has urged that Kambala, the traditional buffalo race of  Tulunadu, should continue to be held only in its native region to preserve its sanctity, authenticity and cultural significance.

In a press release, Shetty said that Kambala, proposed to be held during 2026 Mysuru Dasara, is far more than a sporting event. It is a living symbol of Tulunadu’s rich cultural heritage, agrarian traditions, religious beliefs and the collective identity of the Tulu-speaking community.

The centuries-old tradition, he said, continues to hold immense historical, cultural and spiritual significance for the people of the region.

Referring to the growing popularity of Kambala across Karnataka, Shetty welcomed the increasing public interest in the traditional sport but cautioned against organising it outside Tulunadu.

Conducting the event away from its native land, he said, could gradually dilute its originality and reduce it to a mere spectacle, detached from its cultural roots.

He pointed out that the essence of Kambala lies not only in the buffalo race itself but also in the customs, rituals, community participation and agricultural traditions that have evolved around it over generations. These, he said, are inseparable from the land and heritage of Tulunadu.

He also stressed that the religious rituals, ceremonial practices and traditional protocols associated with Kambala must be preserved in their original form. Any commercialisation, he warned, would diminish the cultural and spiritual value of this unique heritage.

Appealing to the State Government and the Kambala committee to shelve the Dasara Kambala plan, he called for a collective effort to safeguard one of Karnataka’s most treasured cultural traditions.

Kambala, he said, is not merely an event to be replicated in Mysuru but a sacred cultural institution intrinsically linked to the land, history and way of  life of Tulunadu.