Kambala in Mysuru is set to become a new feature of this year’s Dasara celebrations, with preparations under way at Satagalli for the proposed ‘Vijaya–Dashami Jodu Kare Kambala’, an event estimated to cost around ₹10 crore. The plan has, however, triggered opposition from some organisations and members of the erstwhile royal family.
According to a report by Prajavani, the coastal Karnataka buffalo race is being planned in Mysuru after the sport drew significant public attention in Bengaluru in 2023. The proposed event would bring a popular coastal folk sport into the programme surrounding the city’s major annual festival.
The preparations at Satagalli are currently under way, but the report does not provide a final date for the event or details of the agencies responsible for the expenditure and execution. The reported cost of approximately ₹10 crore has placed public spending and event management at the centre of the discussion.
Opponents have raised objections on cultural and environmental grounds. Some organisations and members of the royal family have argued that Kambala is not part of Mysuru’s traditional cultural identity. They have also questioned whether using water for the event is appropriate during a period of drought.
The water-use objection gives the proposed event a civic dimension beyond the question of cultural representation. Any large public event involving specially prepared race tracks and related arrangements would require authorities to clarify how water will be sourced and used. The report, however, does not provide details on the quantity of water required, the source proposed for it or the safeguards planned by the organisers.
The Kambala committee has described the event as a platform for cultural exchange between coastal Karnataka and Mysuru. Its position presents the proposed race as an effort to introduce one region’s popular folk sport to another part of the state during a major public festival.
The controversy therefore centres on three immediate questions: whether Kambala should form part of the Dasara programme, how its estimated ₹10 crore cost will be funded and managed, and whether the event’s water requirements are appropriate under prevailing conditions. The report does not establish that the event is being organised for political reasons, although the possibility of political calculations has entered the public debate.
Mysuru’s Dasara celebrations already bring together a range of cultural and public events. The proposed Kambala would expand that programme while also testing how organisers balance cultural exchange, local identity, public expenditure and resource concerns. Further clarity from the event committee and the authorities will be required on the schedule, funding, permissions and water-use arrangements before the event proceeds.
