Madurai: The ancient Avaniyapuram Jallikattu, a bull-taming sport got started on Monday in Madurai. As many as 1,000 bulls and 600 tamers have been registered for the event. The event will continue for the next three days
Jallikattu is an age-old event celebrated mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu as part of Pongal celebrations. In the sport, a bull is released into a crowd of people and participants of the event try to grab the large hump on the bull's back, attempting to bring the bull to stop.
Due to the risk of injury, both to the participants and the bull, the animal rights organizations called for a ban on the sport. However, after long protests by the people against the ban, the Supreme Court, in May 2023, upheld the Tamil Nadu government's law allowing the bull-taming sport 'Jallikattu' in the State.
Jallikattu, also known as sallikkattu is celebrated on the third day of Pongal - Mattu Pongal Day. The history of this bullfight dates back to 400-100 BCE when it was played by the Ayars, an ethnic group in India. The name is coined from two words, Jalli (silver and gold coins) and Kattu (tied). (Agencies)
