7 people died in the Jallikattu festival organized on the occasion of Pongal in different districts of Tamil Nadu on Thursday. More than 400 people were injured in a single day in this game in which a bull is released among the crowd and made to run.
Tamil Nadu Police said on Friday that Thursday was Kannum Pongal day. Jallikattu is played the most on this day. Apart from 7 people, 2 bulls have also died in Pudukkottai and Sivaganga. Most of the people who lost their lives were not participants in the game, but were bull owners and spectators.
Police said that 1 person died in Sirvayal Manjuvirattu in Sivaganga district. He had participated in this game. At the same time, a spectator who came to watch the game in Alanganallur, Madurai was injured by a bull. He died in the hospital. At the same time, 5 other people also died due to Jallikattu in different districts.
The first Jallikattu of 2025 started in Thachankurichi village of Gandaravakottai taluk in Pudukkottai. After this, it also started being organized in districts like Trichy, Dindigul, Manaparai, Pudukkottai and Sivagangai. More than 600 bulls have been included in this game
What is Jallikattu and why is it celebrated
For about 2500 years, the bull has been a part of faith and tradition for the people of Tamil Nadu. People here celebrate Pongal festival on the day of Makar Sankranti every year after the crops ripen in the fields. Pongal means surge or boiling in Tamil.
On this day they start the new year. On the last day of this three-day festival, bulls are worshipped. They are decorated. Then Jallikattu begins. It is also known as Eru Thazhuvuthal and Mankuvirattu. This game is a part of the Pongal festival.
This is a game in which a bull is released in the crowd. People participating in this game try to control the bull by holding its hump. The winner is the one who holds the hump of many bulls for the longest time.
The history of Jallikattu dates back to 400-100 BC, when an ethnic group in India called Ayar used to play it. Its name is made up of two words- Jalli (silver and gold coins) and Kattu (tied).
When the bull dies in Jallikattu, the players shave their heads and organize a funeral feast.
The people of Tamil Nadu consider the bull to be the vehicle of Lord Shiva. They worship it. For them, the bull is like a brother or father. After its death, they send condolence messages to the relatives. They decorate its dead body with flowers. They take out a funeral procession like humans and bury it at a sacred place.
After returning home, they shave their heads. The villagers are given a funeral feast. After a few days, they also build a temple for that bull and worship it every year.