'Jallikattu,’ the annual bull-taming event that is slated to be held in several parts of Tamil Nadu took off to a colorful start in Madurai on Wednesday, 15 January, on the occasion of Pongal, in which over 700 bulls and about 750 participants took part.
As the feisty bulls, one after the other started racing towards the lengthy sporting arena from the entrance, known as 'vadivasal,' young men waiting with bated breath strained every nerve to latch on to the hump of the animals.
"Don't touch the horns," "many men don't chase one animal," "allow the bull to go; it has won," were among the instructions that reverberated in the arena for the participants.
The Jallikattu at Avaniyapuram held in Madurai on Wednesday marks the start of the once a year bull taming sport in many rural and semi-urban regions of Tamil Nadu.