MADURAI: Beauty and beast — the jampacked venue of Palamedu Jallikattu had the best of both as the trained youth threw their arms behind the humps of bulls in their attempt to hold on to the maximum time possible.
But there was gore too, when a 19-year-old spectator from Sanarpatti in Dindigul district died of stomach injuries inflicted by a charging bull. The deceased, Kaalimuthu S, came to the venue with his friends and was attacked by a bull when as many as four animals rushed towards the collection counter, through which they are taken back from the arena.
Though Kaalimuthu was rushed to the Government Rajaji Hospital, the doctors declared him brought dead. Kaalimuthu worked in a mill and stayed with his mother and sister. As many as 16 people were injured in the incident.
A total of 446 bulls were released through the Vadi Vasal at Palamedu Jallikattu, which is second only to the Alanganallur event. The bulls and the tamers constantly challenged each other, much to the delight of the audience. The event commenced around 8 am, after the temple bulls were brought through the Manjamali Vadi Vasal following a special pooja at the local temple.
District Collector K Veera Raghava Rao, along with the tamers, took the oath to follow the rules stipulated by the State government. Rao said that ten 108 ambulances and two veterinary ambulances were stationed in the area to handle any emergencies. The two sides of the track were well protected to keep the audience safe. After a physical test by 10 medical teams for the tamers and 12 veterinary teams for the bulls, the participants were allowed entry into the arena.
For each shift, 100 tamers were allowed inside for a duration of one hour. T-shirts of different colours were given to the tamers for each roaster and the players who abided by all the regulations were allowed to continue in the next shift as well.
A team led by Animal Welfare Board of India member S K Mittal monitored the tamers to ensure that all the players followed the rules strictly. Tamers found holding the horn, tail or legs of the bulls were sent out of the arena. Right from the wee hours of Monday, the bull owners began trickling in to the venue and tied their animals behind the Vadi Vasal.
As the youth tried to hold on to the bull’s hump, the audience whistled and encouraged them. The event concluded around 3.30 pm. Prizes were given to tamers who tamed the bull for more than 30 m. Prizes were also given to the owners of the bulls that remained untamed.
The Collector told the media that of the 1080 bulls that were registered for the event, only 490 cleared the medical screening. Of them, 446 were allowed into the arena. “Of the 1,188 tamers who had registered, 927 reached the venue on time. Of them, 227 failed to clear the fitness test and were rejected,” he said.
Superintendent of Police N Manivannan was in charge of the police deployment. Around 900 police personnel were deployed in and around the venue.
The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation had arranged for special buses exclusively to the venue from places in and around Madurai. Tender vehicles and a striking forces were kept in readiness to provide assistance.
Revenue Minister R B Udhayakumar also witnessed the event. A day before the Palamedu event, Avaniyapuram witnessed Jallikattu. With over 500 bull tamers taking part, the participants were allowed to enter the arena on shift basis. In a single shift nearly 50 to 75 tamers were allowed to enter. Of the total 954 bulls that were registered, 704 bulls turned up. Of them, 643 were permitted to take part. Similarly, 623 tamers had registered to take part, but only 596 were permitted.
As many as 70 people, including bull tamers and the public, sustained injuries and six of them were referred to the Government Rajaji Hospital for treatment.
446 bulls released through Vadi Vasal
700 tamers entered the arena to show off their skills
From Gold coins to sweet boxes, an array of prizes
After almost eight hours of play, five bull tamers emerged winners at the Palamedu Jallikattu on Monday. A seasoned tamer from Palamedu, B Mani (22) stole the show taming seven bulls. Murugan (26) came second. Villi, Sakthivel and Sivaraj got the third, fourth and fifth prizes, respectively. Cash prizes of `10,000, `5,000 and `3,000 were given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. A dazzling array of prizes, including gold coins, silver coins, bicycles, beds, utensils, chairs, sweet boxes and dresses were given away to overall winners and winners of each round