Jallikattu

• Jallikattu or Sallikkattu is a traditional bull-taming event in Tamil Nadu.
• It has traditionally been part of Pongal festival.
• It is celebrated on Mattu Pongal day, which occurs annually in January.
• The event is also known as eru thazhuvuthal and mañcuvirattu.
• Bulls, primarily, used in the event are the Pulikulam or Kangayam breeds.

How Jallikattu is played?

• A bull is released into a crowd of people.
• Participants of the event attempt to grab the large hump on the bull’s back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape.
• They hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a stop.
• In some cases, participants must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull’s horns.

Significance of the event

• The festival is a celebration of nature, and thanksgiving for a bountiful harvest, of which cattle-worship is part.
• A reference to bull taming is found in a seal discovered at Mohenjo-Daro, which is dated between 2,500 BC and 1,800 BC.
• There are references to Jallikattu in Sangam literature.
  

Latest News

• January, 2022: With a steep rise in the daily cases of COVID-19, the district administration in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur, have banned the conduct of Jallikattu events, ahead of Pongal festival, as part of safety measures.
  

Sources

1. The Hindu