Madurai (Tamil Nadu), Jan 15 (PTI) The best tamer who embraced 22 bulls and the owner of the best bull that stubbornly refused to be subdued won a car and a tractor, respectively at the Pongal 2026 Jallikattu held at Avaniyapuram here on Thursday.
The number of those injured at the event rose to 57 from 32 persons earlier in the day. Totally, 27 tamers, 21 bull owners and 9 spectators were injured during the traditional bull-taming sport here that marked the first among the three major events for this Pongal harvest festival season. Among the injured, eight were admitted to a hospital with simple injuries.
Balamurugan of Valayakulam in Madurai district was presented the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s prize of a car. G R Karthik of Avaniyapuram who embraced 17 bulls and Ranjith also of Avaniyapuram who could hold on to the hump of 16 bulls during the daylong event, were presented a bike and a gold coin respectively.
State Commercial Taxes and Registration Minister P Moorthi who earlier inaugurated the sport in the presence of Madurai district collector Pravin Kumar and other senior officials, presented the prizes.
Virumandi brothers were presented the Deputy Chief Minister’s prize of a tractor as their bull Manthai Muthukaruppan ferociously evaded the daring tamers.
Over 2,200 police personnel were deployed for security.
About 550 bull tamers, mostly youth, grappled with the animals to display their prowess during the event that saw nearly 1,100 bulls released in succession into the Jallikattu arena.
A mighty white bull charged from the Vadi Vaasal (entry point from where the bulls are released into the arena) went around in a circle and tossed a tamer, who clung on to its hump before finally darting out of the arena.
Several animals that were let into the arena proved to be challenging for the tamers. The animals shrugged off those trying to hold on to the hump and ran away, much to the excitement of the bull owners who also received prizes for their bulls’ performance.
“What a beauty,” the commentator remarked when a youth held on to the hump of a bull despite the animal’s numerous attempts to fling him by tossing its head or shrugging the hump. “You deserve gold for your spectacular display,” the commentator lauded.
The thrilling event saw many tamers dauntlessly holding onto the bull’s hump and letting it go after some time.
A few foreigners, including those from the Netherlands, and Japan were among the spectators who witnessed the bull-taming sport from close quarters.
Palamedu and Alanganallur, marking the grand finale, are the other two centres where the bull-taming events would be held on January 16 and 17 respectively.
Earlier, the participating bulls were thoroughly screened at a medical camp to ascertain if they were drugged. “Four bulls were rejected on health grounds. We found them anxious, salivating, or detected a rise in temperature and dehydration. The tests were performed based on the SOP laid down in 2017,” a veterinarian told PTI.
The veterinarians checked the animals to see if oil was applied on their back or whether their horns sharpened. “We also performed an alcohol test for the bulls,” the veterinarian, who was part of the 69-member medial team, added.
The health of the male participants was also screened before they stepped into the arena situated near the Bhadrakali Amman Temple on Thiruparankundram Road in Avaniyapuram, Madurai.
A digital scoreboard was put up at the venue for the first time by the district administration. PTI JSP JSP JSP ADB
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