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Animal Cruelty or Tradition?

Intro:
The Pongal festival is the biggest and important festival celebrated in the South Indian states – Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, and Puducherry. This festival is celebrated to express our gratitude towards nature for plentiful harvest throughout the year which also includes cattle worship. Pongal celebrations are incomplete without bull-taming. Now, here comes the famous traditional sport of Jallikattu.

It was just a few days back when the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was spotted attending a Jallikattu event held in Madurai, Tamil Nadu during the festival of Pongal 2021. Jallikattu is a bull-taming sport held every year in Tamil Nadu during the celebrations of Pongal. In this sport, the participants are required to catch a running bull and hold onto it. The person who catches the bull becomes the winner.

There has been a debate for more than a decade that whether this sport should be banned or not. So, what is so controversial about the Jallikattu sport? In this blog, we will throw light on this event, its history, some important facts of it, and arguments revolving around this sport along with case histories. So, let’s get started!!

What is Jallikattu?
Jallikattu is a very famous Tamil ancient sport that is celebrated in the South Indian states especially in Tamil Nadu on Mattu Pongal day during the Pongal festival. The celebrations of Pongal (also known as harvest festival) last for 4 days, of which bull taming is an important part. Jallikattu is also known as Manju Virattu in Tamil.

The term ‘Jallikattu’ is derived from two Tamil words - ‘Calli’ means golden or silver coins and ‘Kattu’ means string bags. The word Jallikattu basically refers to a package of coins that are tied to the bull’s horn and the participants attempt to retrieve it. If the man wins, he receives the prize money as a reward. 

Variations of Jallikattu:
Jallikattu has three different variants. Let’s discuss it below:

Vadi Manjuvirattu: Vadi Manjuvirattu is the most popular variation in districts like Theni, Madurai, Thanjavur, and Samel in Tamil Nadu. In this variant, an aggressive bull is released from a close shelter (Vadi Vasal) and the contestant or fighter has to hold the hump of the bull with his arms for seven seconds. If he does so, he wins.

Veli Virattu: Veli Virattu is almost as same as Vadi Manjuvirattu but has a different approach as the bull is directly set free to the open ground. The rules are all same as the previous one that the participants have to defeat the bull in an open ground. This variant is very popular in Sivagangai and Madurai districts.

Vatam Manjuvirattu: Vatam means ‘Circle’ in Tamil. The name itself defines half of the game. In this variant, the bull is tied with a 15-meter long rope and set free in a big open ground. This way, the bull is free to move anywhere but within a circle. A team of seven to nine people has to catch the running bull and untie the prize money which is tied in the horns of the bull, and that too within 30 seconds.

History of Jallikattu:
The ritual of Jallikattu dates back to 400-100 BCE i.e almost 2,500 years back during the period of ancient Tamil classical. It was very common and popular among Ayar people who lived in ‘Mullai” in ancient Tamizh Nadu. With time, it became a platform to showcase bravery and courage, and the prize money of golden or silver coins was replaced with the currency which is rewarded to the winner of the sport.