Bulls roar as Jallikattu draws thousands to Madurai’s Alanganallur

The popular bull taming sport marks the conclusion of the four-day Pongal harvest festival in Tamil Nadu

Chennai: Scenic spots across Tamil Nadu bustled with families on Kaanum Pongal, a mega outing with family and friends. The day, marking the conclusion of the four-day Pongal harvest festival, saw mighty bulls roar in Madurai’s Alanganallur jallikattu on Thursday.

The popular Alanganallur jallikattu is the grand finale of the three-day bull taming sport held in Madurai and certain other parts of Tamil Nadu as part of the Pongal festival.

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Both the bulls and the athletic youngsters, who take part in the sport, display their valour. Mighty bulls, released into the jallikattu arena, raced past the frenzied bunch of tamers, most of whom were youngsters, with all their ferocity, leaving the men dazed and some men even stepped back hastily to evade being gored. Every time a bull was released, multiple participants attempted to grab the large hump on the bull’s back with both arms and hang on and the crowd cheered lustily.

The favourite haunt of families during the Pongal festival in Chennai, Arignar Anna Zoological Park, (Vandalur zoo) has welcomed over 30,000 visitors since the last two days of Pongal. Free Wi-Fi was provided near the entrance for the convenience of visitors. Anticipating a huge crowd, the zoo authorities had deployed 81 forest uniformed staff from Chennai, Vellore, Dharmapuri and Villupuram circle and 15 number of police personnel. Wheelchairs were provided to senior citizens and differently-abled visitors.