Jallikattu
Jallikattu being played in Madurai in 2021 | |
| Highest governing body | Tamil Nadu Jallikattu Federation Local organising committees |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | Sallikkattu; ēru taḻuvuṭal; manju virattu |
| First played | 600 –100 BCE |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Yes |
| Team members | No teams, single competitors |
| Mixed-sex | No |
| Type | Traditional sport |
| Venue | Open ground |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Tamil Nadu, India Eastern Province, Sri Lanka |
| Olympic | No |
| Paralympic | No |
Jallikattu (or Sallikkattu), also known as Eru Taḻuvuṭal and Manju-virattu, is a traditional event in which a zebu bull (Bos indicus), such as the Pulikulam or Kangayam breeds, is released into a crowd of people, and many people attempt to grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hang on to it while the bull attempts to escape. They hold the hump for as long as possible, attempting to bring the bull to a stop. In some cases, they must ride long enough to remove flags on the bull's horns or cross a finish line.
Jallikattu is typically practised in some regions of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, particularly in southern Tamil Nadu, as a part of Pongal celebrations on Mattu Pongal day, which occurs annually in January.
Because of incidents of injury and death associated with the sport, both to the participants and to the animals forced into it, animal rights organizations have called for a ban on the sport, resulting in the Supreme Court of India banning it several times over the past years. However, with protests from the people against the ban, a new ordinance was enacted in 2017 to continue the sport.