Tamil Nadu: Riveting ‘Alanganallur’ Jallikattu enthralls, bulls and men in race

Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare Udayanidhi Stalin flags off the Jallikattu event.

Madurai: The bull taming sport, ‘Jallikattu‘ at Alanganallur began on Tuesday with traditional sporting fervour and streams of energetic young men raced against time to dominate the robust bulls and emerge victorious. Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare Udayanidhi Stalin flags off the Jallikattu event.

As the bulls jumped and leapt forward from the ‘Vadivasal,’ the entrance to the sporting arena, filled with sand and hay, men on the sideways tried to embrace the bulls by clinging on to the hump.

Sometimes, it was the tamers who won, while bulls outwitted them on several occasions. Organisers announced on the public address system, if it was the bull or man who won.

At least 15 men, including bull tamers, sustained injuries and over 500 bulls and more than 300 tamers are all set to complete participation in the game by evening. Tight security measures are in place. The Jallikattu at Alanganallur here is very popular.