Jallikattu is a popular bull-taming sport that has been traditionally part of the festival of Pongal in Tamil Nadu. Also known as Manju Virattu or Eru Thazhuvuthal, it is staged on Mattu Pongal, the 3rd day of the four-day-long festival Pongal in the month of January.
The word ‘Jallikattu’ is evolved from the words ‘Calli’ (coins) and ‘Kattu’ (tie), which denotes a bundle of coins tied to the bull’s horns; whoever tames the bull wins the coins. Moreover, the bulls that win in the festival carry the highest price in markets and are used for breeding.
Jallikattu is played in an open ground where a bull is let loose amid hordes of people who try to control the bull by piling on its hump or horns. The event is a crowd puller as people from outside Tamil Nadu also flock to witness the spectacle.
The Tamil people consider Jallikattu as a symbol of dignity and the sport has an important place in the pages of Tamil history.
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14 окт 2024
