MADURAI: He is a triumphant in almost all the battles that he had fought, too many ‘diamonds of victory’ adorn his horns and a nightmare for his opponents in all the fights through out his life.
Though success was always on the side of Appu, the 13-year-old jallikattu bull of Muppuli Ayyanar Temple in Sakkudi, suffered an injury while fighting a competitor at Sakkudi in Madurai district recently. He died on Tuesday, perhaps unable to bear the pain of defeat.
Starting his career at an event in Pudukottai at the age of six, there was no looking back for Appu, which had won several prizes in various competitions across the state.
“Though we thought of keeping the funeral low profile and planned to bury it at 3 pm, word spread and tamers and jallikattu enthusiasts from several neighbouring district like Dindigul, Theni, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Tiruchy and other districts started pouring in at Sakkudi till the evening to pay their respects to the brave warrior,” said P Rajasekar, President, Tamilnadu Jallikattu Peravai, the last owner of the bull, adding “Despite efforts to save the bull by giving best medication Appu breathed his last around 11 am.”
Appu was the last in the legacy of bull that remained challenges for the tamers in the state. “Ambur Sivelai and Appu were twin targets for all tamers in the state. Ambur Sivelai, a temple bull from Madurai died of ill health in 2011,” said Salai Chakarapandi (58), a seasoned bull tamer.
“Appu has seen several turfs in nine districts like Thanjavur, Pudukottai, Tiruchy, Perambalur, Sivaganga, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram and Madurai, and always emerged victorious in all of them,” said Salai Kanakarajan.
