Madurai. TAMIL NADU; 17/01/2023: Bull fighters participating in the Jallikattu event in Alanganallur near Madurai on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: G. MOORTHY
In Madurai’s Alanganallur village, winning the jallikattu event is a matter of pride for bull owners. The event has over 20,000 spectators including ministers, foreigners and locals. It also involves showers of gold coins, generous community lunches and tonnes of festivity.
What is special about Alanganallur’s jallikattu?
Unlike in other arenas in Madurai where the bulls enter the vaadivasal and make a straight run for the collection point, the bulls in Alanganallur must face the viewing gallery and take a left to exit. And, this requires practice.
The bulls must be trained to get out of the narrow vaadivasal and not just shoot out and run. Only the bulls that stand in the arena, intimidate and play with the players are deemed worthy enough to win prizes at the end.
Over 2,000 prize bags with a gold coin, a dhoti and a sweet box in each are distributed to every single bull owner.
What is a typical Alanganallur jallikattu event like?
Alanganallur starts receiving a stream of visitors from the night before. The rearers perform a small ritual for the bulls before the event starts. They are then taken to the bull-assembly point with their token and fitness certificates.
Around the same time crowds begin gathering outside the venue. The yearly tussle between police and the public is a common sight here.
An oath is taken by all players and even the police, medical personnel, government servants, and the bull rearers. It was introduced since the 2017 jallikattu protests to pledge fair play and more importantly not to hurt the bulls
Once the Alanganallur Jallikattu is flagged off, the first set of bulls run fiercely out of the vaadivasal. The bulls that play well and the tamers who catch the bulls are promised a ‘thanga mazhai’ or a ‘shower of gold’.
A bull is considered ‘pidi maadu’ (or caught) if the tamer holds on to it as it spins three times or till it crosses a 50-metre mark set inside the arena. The bull is deemed the victor if it plays — poking the husk on the ground, intimidating the players or shaking off tamers who hold on to the hump. The players cannot catch the bull by the tail or the horns
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Reporting: Sanjana Ganesh
Voiceover & Production: Abhinaya Sriram
Videos: G Moorthy
Published - January 19, 2023 05:56 pm IST
