Chief Minister, Deputy CM inaugurate the world famous jallikattu at Alanganallur in Madurai; after first batch of bull tamers entered the arena, CM administers safety oath to them; manju virattu event near Siravayal in Sivaganga dist turned tragic after two spectators were gored to death by raging bulls
MADURAI: For the first time ever, Chief Minister (CM) Edappadi K Palaniswami and Deputy CM O Panneerselvam flagged off the jallikattu at Alanganallur here, on Tuesday.The jallikattu at Alanganallur in Madurai district is world famous and people from different parts of the country and abroad throng the venue to witness the sport.
Before the commencement of the Alanganallur jallikattu around 7.30 am, a red carpet welcome was given to the bulls in front of the vadi vasal. Before coming to the jallikattu arena, the CM and the Deputy CM visited a photo exhibition that had been set up behind the stage. They also took pictures standing in front of a huge statue of a jallikattu bull in front of the photo exhibition.
Accompanied by District Collector K Veera Raghava Rao and State ministers R B Udayakumar, Sellur K Raju, and Dindigul C Sreenivasan, Palaniswami and Panneerselvam came inside the jallikattu arena and saw the temple bulls that were brought to the arena.
After the first batch of bull tamers entered the arena, the CM administered safety oath to the bull tamers. At around 8 am, the CM and the Deputy CM flagged off the jallikattu.Before the commencement of the event, the members of organising committee thanked the youngsters and the state government for the efforts to lift the ban on jallikattu.Addressing the gathering, Palaniswami said the jallikattu at Alanganallur is watched by people from all over the world. He said that when he witnessed the sport he knew that there was no harm being caused to the bulls and that the people cared for the bulls as they did their children.
Palaniswami sponsored a car for the best bull tamer while Panneerselvam sponsored a car for the best bull at the Alanganallur jallikattu.A total of 1,080 bulls were registered to take part in the event. However, only 638 bulls turned up for the event, out of which 603 bulls were granted permission to take part.
As many as 1,241 bull tamers had registered for participation, though only 890 reported at the venue. 697 tamers cleared the medical examination and were granted permission to participate while 193 were rejected.Several prize items including cars, two-wheelers, cycles, gold coins, silver coins, foldable cots, bureaus, bags, T-shirts, and vessels were distributed to the winners which included the tamers and the owners of untamed bulls.
Thousands of people from different parts of the country thronged to Alanganallur to witness the jallikattu event on Tuesday. The people started cheering loudly as the bulls were released through the vadi vasal.Even though the jallikattu event was scheduled from 8 am to 3 pm, it was extended by an hour, on the direction of the CM who gave in to the demands of the members of the organising committee. Later, Collector Rao extended it to 5 pm.
Talking to media after the jallikattu, Collector Rao said that 697 bull tamers took part in nine batches and that 571 bulls were released. He said the batch system for bull tamers was introduced to enhance the quality of the sport and to monitor the activities. “This has also helped to drastically bring down the number of injuries during the sport,” noted the Collector. He mentioned that seven people who had sustained major injuries were currently in a stable condition and that eight others sustained minor injuries during the event.Members of the Animal Welfare Board of India, who were present during the sport, appreciated the safety arrangements made by the administration officials, declared Rao.
Car for winners
Addressing the gathering, CM Palaniswami said jallikattu at Alanganallur is watched by people from all over the world. Palaniswami sponsored a car for the best tamer while Panneerselvam sponsored a car for the best bull at the Alanganallur jallikattu
2 gored
to death during manju virattu while two others died in accidents near Siravayal in Sivaganga district on Tuesday. Siravayal is the only venue in the state that has 200 acres of empty land exclusively reserved for manju virattu. The name of the owner was written on the bodies of some of the bulls to facilitate establishing contact with the owner
571 bulls
were released during the Alanganallur jallikattu. Collector Rao said that a batch system for bull tamers was introduced in order to enhance the quality of the sport and monitor activities. This also paved the way for reducing the incidence of injuries. He said that seven persons, who sustained major injuries, were currently in a stable condition
193 tamers rejected
As many as 1,241 bull tamers registered, though only 890 reported at the venue. 697 tamers cleared the medical examination and were granted permission to participate