JALLIKATTU

INTRODUCTION:
Name: Jallikatti (Tamizh: Sallikattu)
Other names: Eruthazhuvudhal, Manjuvirattu, Pollerudhu Pidithal
What is it: A sport
How is it played: A bull is released into a crowd of volunteers, who need to hold the hump
of the bull and bring it to a stop
Prize: Money or gifts
When is it played: Harvest festival of Pongal, mid-January
Places held: The bull-taming sport is popular in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai
and Dindigul districts — known as the Jallikattu belt
Important locations: Alanganallur, Avaniapuram and Palemedu in Madurai district;
Tiruvapur near Pudukottai; Thammampatti in Salem; Sravayal near Karaikudi; Kanduppatti
near Sivagangai; Venthanpatti in Pudukottai district; and Pallavarayanpatty near Cumbum
Popular breeds used: Pulikulam, Kangayam, Umbalachery, Barugur and Malai Maadu

VARIANTS OF THE SPORT:

 Vadi manjuviraṭṭu: This is the most common category of jallikattu, played in the
districts of Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur, and Salem. The bull is released towards the
contestants who have to wrap their hand or arms around the hump and hold on to it
without falling. Only one contestant is allowed to do it at a time.
 Vēli viraṭṭu: In this variant the approach is slightly different as the bull is directly
released into open ground. The rules are the same as that of vadi majuviraṭṭu. This is a
popular variant in the districts of Sivagangai and Madurai.
 Vaṭam manjuviraṭṭu: In this variant, the bull is tied with a 15 m (49 ft) rope (vatam
means 'circle' in Tamil). There are no other physical restrictions for the bull and hence
it can move freely anywhere. The maximum time period given is 30 minutes. A team
of seven to nine members can attempt to untie the gift token that is tied on the bull's
horn.

SPORT DESCRIPTION:
The bulls are domesticated and maintained wild in a balance. The calves with competent
characters and structure are selected and are brought up carefully by being provided quality
nutritious food. They are even given swimming exercises to strengthen their muscles. They
are then taken to smaller grounds to practice, and then are familiarized with the concept of
“fight or flight”, which is seen as an important base of this sport.
The contesting bull enters the competition area through a gate called the “vaadi vaasal”. The
game proceeds depending on the variations. The biggest open space available in each village
is used for the sport.
The bulls which get weak in the sport will be used for the agriculture.
The prize items and money have changed according to the era. Bull owners are seemed to
encourage to train their bulls based on that, because otherwise, the mechanized farming
sector provides not much benefits for them with the bulls.

REQUIRED PREPARATIONS FOR THE EVENT:

With the introduction of the Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009 by the Tamil Nadu legislature,
it was made compulsory to follow the following steps during organizing a jallikattu:
 1. A written permission for the event location is to be obtained from the respective
collector thirty days prior to conducting the event.
2. The necessary permissions are obtained from the collector for the participants and the
bulls fifteen days prior.
3. The arena and the way through which the bulls pass through are to be double-
barricaded in order to avoid injuries to the spectators and by-standers.
4. The necessary gallery areas are to be built up along the double barricades.
5. The final preparation before the event is to include a complete testing by the
authorities of the Animal Husbandry Department who check the bulls and the area for
tamper.

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD:

The classical Tamil text Thirukkural, mentions that education or knowledge is the real
‘maadu’. Thus, the Tamizh word for bull or cow, i.e., maadu, may also mean “to denote
wealth”. In this sense, there is ‘value’ attached to the bull – economic value, cultural honour
and social status.
Ancient Tamil Sangam literature described the practice as “Eru thazhuvuthal”, literally “bull
embracing”.
The modern term jallikattu or sallikattu is derived from salli (coins) and kattu (package).
This refers to the earlier practice where the prize was tied to the bull’s horns.
Manju virattu literally means “bull chasing”.

HISTORY:
Jallikattu has been known to be practiced during the Tamizh classical period which existed
between 400-100 BCE.
The ancient Tamizh Sangam literature from 3rd century BCE to 4th century CE mentions
“bull-grapping” as popular sport amongst the Velir chieftains, who were then small rulers in
different parts of the ancient Tamizh land. This group, also referred to as “Ay-Velirs” are
referred so by using the prefix “Ay” to denote the “Ayar” cowherd community, which is
believed to be the Hindu God Krishna’s Yadava dynasty, who are believed to have migrated
southwards after the collapse of the Indus Vallye Civilization from the 1900 BCE. This is
testified by the Sangam Literature as well as multiple copper-plate charters of the Tamizh
kings.
Kaikkiyur, situated about 40 km from Kotagiri town, is the biggest rock art site in south
India. This site contains several rock paintings that are more than 3,500 years old which show
men chasing bulls.
Another single painting discovered in a cave at Kalluthu Mettupatti near Madurai shows a
lone man trying to control a bull. This painting done in white kaolin is estimated to be 1500
years old.
This sport is believed to have begun largely as a wedding custom. In the book, Temples of
Krsna in South India, it is observed that, “A verse in Kalithokai says that an Ay girl would
not marry the man who was afraid to face a bull fight. This shows that ‘it was a custom in the
cowherd community for young girls, until they were married, to select their own bulls from
the common stall and to tend them. The bulls would then be let loose, and which ever young
cowherd could successfully bring the beast under control in an open contest, was deemed the
proper life-partner for the girl.”
Later, this sport had been transformed into a game of exhibition of “masculinity” and
bravery.
DISPUTES ABOUT ORIGIN:
A seal found at Mohenjodaro, now in Pakistan, shows a single bull with curved horns in the
“action” of goring a single man or several men. Historians seem to agree that this seal can be
interpreted as one man, who is flung into the air by the bull, his flying, his plunging, his
somersaulting and finally sitting on his haunch. This can thus indicate that Jallikattu
originated from the Indus Valley Civilization and was then brought to Dravidian culture.
Various evidences, especially material culture, has shown that Dravidian and Indus Valley
cultures could be linked.

EVOLUTION OF THE SPORT:

After the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilization in 1900 BCE, references to bull-taming is
observed in artifacts discovered from Syria / Turkey, Egypt and Crete, indicating it may have
spread from the people who migrated from the Indus Valley.
From historical recordings, it is seen that elephants and bulls were tamed earlier to horses,
and thus bull-taming could’ve been an occupation than just a sport. They were also later used
for military strength too. Until the 18th century, bullock carts were used in the War. Hyder
Ali, the King of Mysore had used cannons positioned on bullock carts.
These wild bulls were tamed and used for domestic purposes, especially agrarian. Bull-
related sports are largely observed in these agrarian societies. Bull-baiting, bull race, bull
taming, etc., are seen as ways of establishing valour and pride, and also to prioritize the
relationship between the man and the bull.
In earlier versions of the Sangam literature, bull-baiting is seen as war strategy and
indication. Since cattle is moveable property, grabbing a part of this cattle specifically by
putting colour garlands was believed to be a “warning sign” against the other party. This was
called “Aaaneeraai Kavarthal”, where Aaa referred to the cattle, neerai to the wealth, and
Kavarthal to grab. Other works who refer to this practice are “Purapporul”, “Tholkapiyam”
and “Madurai Kanchi”. Since the Aaaneeraai Kavarthal refers to a warning or a war
invitation to the enemies, cattle are preserved before the war.
We find references to people enjoying this sport in another Sangam literary work
“Silapathigaram”. “Mullakali”, a Sangam poem, praises the perseverance of women from the
Ayar clan who refuse to marry a man who has not humbled the bull. The women of these
houses feed these bulls, and the man who tames it will get the woman and the property.
During the Vijayanagara Empire rules, the sports grew as a way of employing young men
into their military. From the Nayak period, the prize money of the sport became of greater
focus due to the expressive peakness of casteism where the sponsors were not willing to give
their daughters for a random winner of any caste.
The Palayam chieftains were main sponsors of the events. During the colonial rule however,
many of these Palayam chieftains were arrested under the Criminal Tribes Act 1921.
Independent troops and the “kaaval” community were also banned. Thus the Zamindars and
the village heads took over as sponsors. Though the sport dwindled through this period, it
survived.
The then chief minister of Tamilnadu, C. Rajagopalachari and the party he belonged to, the
Indian National Congress worked against jallikattu, and had invited the Governor of British
Presidency to prove the “barbaric nature” of the sport. However, representative of the
Forward Bloc during the 1930s, Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar had campaigned against
the Act and strictly advised the people to ignore the event.
After the Act was abolished after the Independence. The sport went back to its glorious
practice until recently.
ISSUES WITH THE SPORT:
Between 2008 and 2014, 43 humans and 4 bulls were killed in the jallikattu events. In 2017,
there were 23 deaths in addition to about 2,500 human injuries and several instances of injury
to the bulls. 2020 saw 5 deaths from participation in the event.
In 2004, The Animal Welfare Board of  India asked for ban on jallikattu from the Supreme
Court, citing cruelty to animals and public safety. This was countered by the Committee
called “Tamizhar Veera Vilayattu Peravai”, backed by the Tamilnadu Government.
It was alleged that the bull was angered by spraying chilli powders or stabbed in order to
infuriate it. The number of deaths of the participants was also taken as a reason.
Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and PETA India have
protested against the practice. The then Indian Minister of Women and Child Development
Maneka Gandhi denied the claim by Jallikattu aficionados that the sport is only to
demonstrate the “Tamizh love for the bull”, citing that the Tirukkural does not sanction
cruelty to animals.
In 2011, the Centre added bulls to the list of animals whose training and exhibition is
prohibited.
In 2014, the Supreme Court banned the bull-taming sport, ruling on a petition that cited the
2011 notification.
Protests erupted around the state Due to these protests, a new ordinance was passed to exempt
Jallikattu from the Prevention of Cruelity to Animals Act (1960).
However, the legal situation surrounding jallikattu is not entirely resolved.

IMPORTANCE OF JALLIKATTU AS A TAMIZH CULTURE:

The native breeds used for the sport have high respect among the people.
Jallikattu is considered a traditional way for the peasant community to preserve their pure-
breed native bulls. These breeds are referred to be the strongest breeds of the bull. With the
help of Jallikattu, the breeds are reared more leading to an increase in their otherwise
diminishing numbers. For example, as reported, in 1990 there were around a million of
Kangayam bulls. The numbers dropped to 15,000 as of 2017. Hence, the sport of Jallikattu
gives a chance to rear the bulls. At a time when cattle breeding is often an artificial process,
conservationists and peasants argue that Jallikattu is a way to protect these male animals
which are otherwise used only for meat if not for ploughing.
The breeds of bulls used in the sport are but not restricted to native breeds like Kangayam
and Bangur.

SOCIO-CULTURAL STATUS OF JALLIKATTU:

To call a specific element of a culture as a representative of a whole group can be misleading,
and Jallikattu has the same issue.
The jallikattu protest, devoid of all cultural context and projecting an oxymoronic
monoculture, does not carry any political potentiality for major social transformation in
Tamil society. Mere glorification of a sport as culturally iconic, conveniently ignoring the
multiple contradictions which form the foundation of it, will only aggravate social divisions
and the violence associated with them. The protest, which included all sections of the
population, ought to have brought out the issues of all rather than toe the line of casteist
masculinities. “Honour” killing, caste discrimination, violence against women, farmers’
suicides, inequality, exploitation and other issues, which have a direct or indirect cultural
impact, should be a part of the jallikattu struggle to create an egalitarian Tamil society.
While the nature of jallikattu has changed, the patriarchal value system which forms its
foundation still remains. Tamil cultural values continue to revolve around the sexuality of
women and how to control this within caste boundaries.
The pride that jallikattu evokes is clearly associated with people from a particular dominant
caste, who are often at the forefront of violence against Dalits. An uncritical acceptance of
jallikattu, which showcases casteist masculinity in southern districts, will further empower
patriarchal, casteist attitudes.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS III, 2005-2006), same-caste
marriages in Tamil Nadu account for 97.04% of all marriages, which is much higher than the
national average of 89.04%. Inter-caste marriages were only 2.96% of the total sample. This
sample study may not reflect the real situation, but it does indicate a trend in inter-caste
marriages in Tamil Nadu. The percentage of same-caste marriages is highest for Tamil Nadu
in India. Such deeply entrenched endogamy and continued “honour” killings show the
patriarchal cultural values and practices prevalent, to which jallikattu directly or indirectly
adds flavour.
The sport's supporters say it is an important part of Tamil culture. It is heavily patronised by
the powerful "Kallar caste", to which chief minister-elect VK Sasikala belongs. Other
landowning intermediate caste groups also enthusiastically participate, many of them bull
owners and bull tamers. But very few Dalits take part. Kallars and Dalits have been
adversaries for a long time. Dalit intellectuals see jallikattu as a tool used by dominant castes
to maintain their control.
"In the 1980s and 1990s, jallikattu events triggered violent caste clashes in many villages in
which Dalits suffered heavy losses," says Madurai-based Professor Stalin Rajangam, who has
studied jallikattu-related caste violence extensively in Tamil Nadu. "There were even cases of
Dalits being murdered in a few places. Due to violence, many Dalit settlements like the one
in Kallapur decided to move away from the sport." The State federation dismisses the
allegations by saying that Dalit presences have been included in the sport. But Prof Rajangam
says this is only partly true. "There is a symbolic presence of Dalits in Madurai-based
jallikattu events, because they are organised by the government and in some places like
Alanganallur where Dalits are in the majority. "But this is not the case in a number of small
villages, where Dalits are not allowed to participate or are asked not to tame the bulls of the
caste Hindus." Dalits cannot practice bull-taming since a majority of only upper-caste Hindus
have bulls.