MADURAI: The renowned Alanganallur Jallikattu, regarded as the the most celebrated event of the Pongal festivities in Madurai district, commenced on Saturday amid tight security and enthusiastic participation from bull tamers and owners.
Minister of Commercial taxes and Registration P Moorthy inaugurated the Alanganallur Jallikattu event on Saturday. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin is expected to attend the event by 10 am.
A total of 1,100 bulls and 550 tamers are to take part in the Alanganallur Jallikattu event on Saturday. After special rituals, the temple bulls from Alanganallur and Valasai were released through the Vadi Vasal ahead of the event in the morning hours
District Collector K J Praveen Kumar administered the customary oath to participants, urging them to follow government guidelines and ensure them to follow rules.
On the occasion of the Alanganallur Jallikattu, as a mark of reverence to the village temple bulls, three temple bulls -- the Alanganallur Muniyandi temple bull, the Ariyamalai temple bull, and the Valasai Karuppasamy temple bull -- were the first to be released through the Vadivasal.
The first bull was released from the vaadivaasal at 7 am, drawing loud cheers from packed galleries.
Medical screening was made mandatory for all participants, while veterinary doctors examined the bulls before entry. Similarly, tamers were screened at the government hospital facility before entry.
Barricades were erected to regulate spectators, and separate enclosures were created along the Jallikattu venue. Teams from the health department, 108 ambulance service and the fire and rescue department were kept on standby.
Attractive prizes, including a car for the best tamer and a tractor for the best-performing bull, have been announced.
With thousands of spectators pouring into the village since early morning, the event is scheduled to continue till evening with multiple rounds of competition. Large number of police have been deployed in the venue.
The event marks the concluding leg of the three-day Jallikattu series, following competitions at Avaniyapuram on January 15 and Palamedu on January 16.