Jallikattu is a prehistoric sport that is popular around the southern regions of India, mainly
Tamil Nadu.It’s popular during many fests in Tamil Nadu but is mainly played around the
time of Pongal across several areas especially Alanganallur. It was born around the time of
the Indus Valley Civilization and has been described in detail in many of the old literary texts
like Sangam literature.
It also goes by the names of eru thazhuvuthal (embracing the bull) and manju virattu(bull chasing). During the time of the kings, a bag of coins was tied to the horns of the bull and the player that was able to hold on the hump long enough was able to claim it thus giving the game its name jalli(coins) and kattu(tied). It’s a customary exhibition of a bull (usually of the Bos Indicus cattle) that is released into a crowd of people through the entrance (called the vaadi vaasal). The sport includes the players holding the hump of the bull with both arms as long as they can, usually for the distance of 10-20 meters or 30 secs, whichever comes first. The temple bull (Koyil Kaalai) is usually allowed first before the other 2 bulls as a form of respect and is usually the most coveted bull in the area/village.The Animal Welfare officers and veterinarians are present at all times to inspect the animals before the beginning of the event and also to ensure help during times of emergencies. For the last decade, there has been a lot of discussion and debate about whether the sport Jallikattu should remain legalized based on protecting Tamil Culture or if it should be banned for being “inherently cruel” to animals and a safety hazard to not only the bulls but also to the participants. The controversy surrounding Jallikattu reached to the extent that it was banned several times by the courts but then reinstated its previous power when certain sections of society rose in protest. In November 2010, the Supreme Court allowed the government of Tamil Nadu to continue the practice of Jallikattu for 5 months in a year under the premise that all the animals that were participating were registered and approved by the representative of the Animal Welfare Board. The government of Tamil Nadu also provided a sum for remuneration in case of an accident or injury at the event. In 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification that banned the bulls to be used as performers to prevent all potential and possible harm but the practice was continued under the state laws of Tamil Nadu. In May of 2014, the Supreme Court of India banned the practice all together in lieu of the animal welfare issues and reversed the ban in 2016. Most recently on 21 January, 2017, , the governor of Tamil Nadu issued a decree that allowed the continuation of Jallikattu, it was also exempted from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960). This garnered a lot of protests especially from groups like the Animal Welfare Board of India(AWBI) and People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA). There are two sides of the argument surrounding Jallikattu, there is a group that believes that it is harmful and cruel to the animals and under these reasons should be banned permanently under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA). The reasons that they give include; the animal handlers of the bulls do not possess certificates and thus are not trained to carry such animals. During the races, the animals are subjected to violent acts that include getting hit, beaten, slapped and having their horns or tails pulled. It is said to deprive the animal of its basic right live without torture or fear. They also say that since it’s only played in certain parts of Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu Is not an integral sport for the Tamilian 3 community. There are also many reports of people who get injured and lose their lives which makes in a danger to human existence. On the contrary, those who believe that Jalikattu should remain say that Jallikattu is one of the last way to not only preserve but also promote the native livestock of bulls and animals as rudimentary methods of tending to crops, ploughing and other farm jobs are being taken over by technological advancements of tractors, hybrid animals and other mechanical machines. They state that banning it will lead to extinction of certain breeds, loss of self-sufficiency in milk production, and lead to the domination of foreign breeds in the dairy industry and thus banning jallikattu is a violation of the convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). That supports traditional practices to help the conservation of native breeds. Protests regarding Jallikattu have again restarted and are known as the “pro-jallikattu” movements and they refer to the plethora of political and well as nonpolitical groups protesting in January of 2017 against the Supreme Court’s order to ban Jallikattu. Protests started off in Marina beach until its final legalization by the state government of Tamil Nadu. While there is speculation that it may be overwritten and the central government has more power than the state in some areas of the constitution, jallikattu for the moment is legalized. Some of the demands of the protestors include removal of bulls from the list of animals in Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (PCA) Act, a complete ban of PETA and a permanent solution for Jallikattu. A group of traders has vowed to boycott the leading brands Coke and Pepsi from March 1 to go “swadeshi” and support home-grown brands like Torino, Bovonto and Kali Mark. A final decision remains to be taken on the status of Jallikattu as controversy remains.
Content Writer: Aanchal Thakur
Picture Courtesy: Google
It also goes by the names of eru thazhuvuthal (embracing the bull) and manju virattu(bull chasing). During the time of the kings, a bag of coins was tied to the horns of the bull and the player that was able to hold on the hump long enough was able to claim it thus giving the game its name jalli(coins) and kattu(tied). It’s a customary exhibition of a bull (usually of the Bos Indicus cattle) that is released into a crowd of people through the entrance (called the vaadi vaasal). The sport includes the players holding the hump of the bull with both arms as long as they can, usually for the distance of 10-20 meters or 30 secs, whichever comes first. The temple bull (Koyil Kaalai) is usually allowed first before the other 2 bulls as a form of respect and is usually the most coveted bull in the area/village.The Animal Welfare officers and veterinarians are present at all times to inspect the animals before the beginning of the event and also to ensure help during times of emergencies. For the last decade, there has been a lot of discussion and debate about whether the sport Jallikattu should remain legalized based on protecting Tamil Culture or if it should be banned for being “inherently cruel” to animals and a safety hazard to not only the bulls but also to the participants. The controversy surrounding Jallikattu reached to the extent that it was banned several times by the courts but then reinstated its previous power when certain sections of society rose in protest. In November 2010, the Supreme Court allowed the government of Tamil Nadu to continue the practice of Jallikattu for 5 months in a year under the premise that all the animals that were participating were registered and approved by the representative of the Animal Welfare Board. The government of Tamil Nadu also provided a sum for remuneration in case of an accident or injury at the event. In 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification that banned the bulls to be used as performers to prevent all potential and possible harm but the practice was continued under the state laws of Tamil Nadu. In May of 2014, the Supreme Court of India banned the practice all together in lieu of the animal welfare issues and reversed the ban in 2016. Most recently on 21 January, 2017, , the governor of Tamil Nadu issued a decree that allowed the continuation of Jallikattu, it was also exempted from the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960). This garnered a lot of protests especially from groups like the Animal Welfare Board of India(AWBI) and People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA). There are two sides of the argument surrounding Jallikattu, there is a group that believes that it is harmful and cruel to the animals and under these reasons should be banned permanently under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (PCA). The reasons that they give include; the animal handlers of the bulls do not possess certificates and thus are not trained to carry such animals. During the races, the animals are subjected to violent acts that include getting hit, beaten, slapped and having their horns or tails pulled. It is said to deprive the animal of its basic right live without torture or fear. They also say that since it’s only played in certain parts of Tamil Nadu, Jallikattu Is not an integral sport for the Tamilian 3 community. There are also many reports of people who get injured and lose their lives which makes in a danger to human existence. On the contrary, those who believe that Jalikattu should remain say that Jallikattu is one of the last way to not only preserve but also promote the native livestock of bulls and animals as rudimentary methods of tending to crops, ploughing and other farm jobs are being taken over by technological advancements of tractors, hybrid animals and other mechanical machines. They state that banning it will lead to extinction of certain breeds, loss of self-sufficiency in milk production, and lead to the domination of foreign breeds in the dairy industry and thus banning jallikattu is a violation of the convention of Biological Diversity (CBD). That supports traditional practices to help the conservation of native breeds. Protests regarding Jallikattu have again restarted and are known as the “pro-jallikattu” movements and they refer to the plethora of political and well as nonpolitical groups protesting in January of 2017 against the Supreme Court’s order to ban Jallikattu. Protests started off in Marina beach until its final legalization by the state government of Tamil Nadu. While there is speculation that it may be overwritten and the central government has more power than the state in some areas of the constitution, jallikattu for the moment is legalized. Some of the demands of the protestors include removal of bulls from the list of animals in Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (PCA) Act, a complete ban of PETA and a permanent solution for Jallikattu. A group of traders has vowed to boycott the leading brands Coke and Pepsi from March 1 to go “swadeshi” and support home-grown brands like Torino, Bovonto and Kali Mark. A final decision remains to be taken on the status of Jallikattu as controversy remains.
Content Writer: Aanchal Thakur
Picture Courtesy: Google
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