Mattu Pongal
Encyclopedia
Mattu Pongal is a Hindu
religious festival celebrated on the day following the Pongal
festival (festival of first harvests) or the Makar Sankranti festival. Though the name of the festival is specific to Tamil Nadu
, in India, it is also celebrated in other southern states such as Andhra Pradesh
and Karnataka
. Makar Sankranti is a festival that marks the start of northern declination (called Uttarayana
in Sanskrit) of the Sun
from the Zodiaca sign of Sagittarius
(Sanskrit name: Dhanurmas
) to Capricorn (Sanskrit: Makara), which according to Hindu calendar
usually falls on 14 January. Mattu Pongal is for celebration of the cattle, particularly cows and bulls that play a vital role by working hard to help the farmers to raise crops on their fields, falls on the following day, the 15th of January. The festival is also observed by ethnic Tamil population of Sri Lanka
.
The festival day is also a special occasion when the landlord and the peasant, rich and poor, old and young all dine together in a spirit of bonhomie without any restraint of caste and creed. The festival is thus an occasion when the fresh harvests from the fields are shared in the form of food and sweets not only with the community but also with animals and birds. It also represents the change of season.
An important village sport, called the Jallikattu
or 'Manji Virattu'’, an integral part of the Mattu Pongal festival is observed with enthusiasm and expectations in the villages of Tamil Nadu. This sport is held generally in the evening of the Mattu Pongal day. In the past, it was the day when fierce bulls were chased by young youths of the village to retrieve the money that was tied to the horns of the bulls. In some villages it was held one day after the Mattu Pongal day, on the Kannum Pongal day. However, now it is held as a regular bull fight sports in demarcated rings in villages where the bull owners and the young men fighting the bulls vie for the prizes. This sport is much bloodier than the traditional Jallikattu observed 500 years ago.
means “cow”. Pongal, also in Tamil Language, literally means “boiled rice” (a rice and lentil dish) but metaphorically means prosperity. The Pongal festival also represents celebration of "fertility and renewal" and is observed either for three days or four-days, after the end of the monsoon season and rice (paddy) crop is harvested.
According to a legend linked to Mattu Pongal, god Shiva
sent his bull Nandi (mount
of Shiva and his gate keeper) from heaven to the earth to give his message to people that they should have an oil bath every day and eat once a month. Instead, Nandi wrongly advised people to take an oil bath once a month and eat every day. Shiva was annoyed with this advice related to food and in fit of rage, banished Nandi to permanently live on earth and help the farmers to produce the extra food crops needed for people to eat every day.
or Pre-Aryan
period with those of Christianity
in Europe, - according to Prof. Wilson - indicate that such similarities may not be coincidental. The winter solstice is the date of Sun entering Capricorn
in both the traditions that coincides with Makara Sankranti (called Uttarayana meaning the return of the luminary to the northern region), the first day of the new year starting with Magha
month according to the Hindu Tamil calendar
. This corresponds to 21 December as per Christian
date and is called the sign of the Goat, while the same happens in mid-January according to Hindu calendar. Makara Sankranti event is celebrated among the Hindus for three days, with Mattu Pongal (feast of cattle) held the day after Sun entering Capricorn. (There is a slight variation in dates followed for the festival as per Hindu calendar varying from year to year but the essence of observing Makara Sankranti is the same among Hindus). Worship of cattle by Hindus during Mattu Pongal has a striking similarity with the catholic function held on 17 January in Rome
as Saint Anthony
day, when cattle (the cows, horses, goats, asses and so forth) are blessed. Professor Wilson, has allegorically given an analogy:
. The first day is called Bhogi - the last day of Dhanurmas
(month of Saggitarius), a preparatory day before the Pongal and is in honour of god Indra
, the king of heaven. On this day it is spring cleaning, as people decorate their homes, buy new vessels and burn old and unwanted items. Pongal
, the main festival, also called the Perum Pongal (big festival), is the second day when the Sun is worshipped signifying the first day of the month of Makara or Capricornus. It is celebrated as Makara Sankranti or simply “Sankranti” in the rest of the country. This is followed by the ‘Mattu Pongal’ celebration on the third day when bulls, cows and other farm animals are worshipped. The fourth day is the ‘Kannum Pongal’ or 'Kanru Pongal' (Calf Pongal) festival when calves are fed. However, the name 'Kannum' also denotes that on this day people visit elders in the villages or towns seeking their blessings.
On each of the four days festival, Kolam
or threshold drawings are drawn with coloured rice powder or chalk powder, in the front yard of the houses, after due washing of the yard. On the first day images of rice are drawn, on the second day good luck signs of Sun are drawn and the Mattu Pongal day Kolam depicts cows also.
On all four days, Shiva's consort Parvati
and their son Ganesha
are worshipped and the Pongal - the rice preparation - is offered to them in the puja and thereafter to the cattle. The neck of the pot in which Pongal rice is prepared is tied with fresh turmeric leaves and pieces of sugarcane. Ingredients cooked in the pot consist of rice, green gram and milk. While cooking, the overflow of milk is particularly observed as it has significance to the householder. If the milk over flows on the right side of the pot, it is considered an auspicious augury. Sometimes, an image of Ganesha is crafted with cow-dung. This crafted Ganesha is then bedecked with arugampul (kind of grass), thumbai (white flowers) and avaram (yellow flowers). The pongal cooked in mud pots are placed on the floor where a Kolam is drawn and skirted with red sand. Then, pongal-rice along with turmeric, ginger, sugar cane, yellow garlands and a stick that is used to drive the bulls are also placed as offering to Ganesha.
In some practices, Pongal is celebrated for three days with Kannum Pongal or Kannu Pongal observed concurrently with the Mattu Pongal. Sisters symbolically offer small part of the rice dishes prepared for the festival or coloured balls of cooked rice to crows and other birds such as sparrows, as a special prayer for the well being of their brothers. While making this offering to crows, they call out with words in Tamil, ‘Kakai Ku Pudi, Kuruvi Ku Pudi’, which literally means “this rice ball is for the crow, this rice ball is for the sparrow.”
On the Mattu Pongal day, cattle are washed, their horns painted and decorated with shining metal caps. Multi-coloured beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around their necks. Turmeric and kumkum are also devotionally put on the foreheads of the cattle. The cow–keepers dressed in their regale sprinkle the cattle with saffron water with mango leaves with prayers to protect them from evil and shout the popular slogan of the festival, “Pongal! Pongal!”. This prayer is a special wish for the progressive prosperity and growth of the cattle population, with the blessings of Indra and Krishna
(Gopala), who was a cowherd. Devotees pay their respect to cows by bending down, like praying in a temple, and touching their feet and foreheads, followed by an aarti
(showing camphor flame to the object of praise) and offering the cattle prasad
(food offering, in this case is called Sakkar Pongal – a delicacy cooked of rice, moong dal (green gram) with jaggery
and dry fruits). The cattle are taken in a procession, attended by bands of music, through the village streets to a public space in the village. The resounding of their bells attracts the villagers as the young men race each other's cattle. Then the entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Big commotion is seen when the game "Jallikattu" or "Manji Virattu" starts in which groups of young men chase the running bulls.
- initially - was a bull taming village sport held in the after noon or evening of the Mattu Pongal celebrations. This sport was popular in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, particularly in Madurai
, Tiruchirapalli
and Tanjavur. On this day, the bulls, which were worshipped and fed during the day, their horns were tied with bundles of money in the form of coins or notes. The young boys chased such bulls, lassoed them and retrieved the money tied to the horn. If they failed the bulls ran away and were seen only the next morning. But this was a milder form of the sport which was seen in most villages in Tamil Nadu 500 years back. This traditional sport changed during the Nayaka rule in Tamil Nadu From a harmless bull-chasing sport it got transformed into the present form of Jallikattu, which is a bloodier bull-wrestling sport that takes place now in villages throughout Tamil Nadu, to celebrate Mattu Pongal. Jallikattu, as an ancient sport of Tamil Nadu, has been corroborated from rock paintings of 'bull chasing sport' discovered on massive rock surfaces at Karikkiyur in Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, which are dated between 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C.
The regular bull fights that are held now are in a well organized manner by bull owners and the youthful village men. In the present form, prizes are offered to the bull fighters and the bull owners. The bull fight is held, at a central location in the village where people assemble in large numbers to witness the fight. It is held in an enclosure with a 30 feet (9.1 m) marker. The bulls that are specially trained for this occasion are then led from the pen to the ring to fight, one by one, when young boys of the village grab the bull by its horn or neck or tail and try to hold on to it. If the boys are thrown off or hurt seriously within the ring no prize is given to them. If they hold on or even thrown off but are not in any way injured then the prize is given to them. If the contesting young men hold on to the bull from the marker entrance of the pen then they are given prizes. If the bulls win, then the prizes go to the bull owners. It is said that in some villages as many as 600 bulls, 600 participants and 10,000 spectators participate. The fight between man and the bull is quite fierce and many times bloody. It is considered a heroic act on the part of the young men. The young participants show off their heroism by displaying the number of cuts they have suffered during such fights. This type of fight is said to be akin to the bull fights of Spain
. However, in this case, the fight is to win prizes by holding on to the bulls’ neck or horn. The bull is never killed, however many boys get killed by goring by the bull since they fight with their bare hands and with confidence of their strength. In many instances, the audiences watching the fight have also been injured by the ferocious bulls. In recent years, there have been deaths of young boys during this festival, which has created a furore among the public. In one year, there was a report of death of as many as 20 young men, apart from mauling and trampling of spectators.
As result of deaths of young men, the Supreme Court was approached to stop this festival, as it was considered inhuman and dangerous. The plea made was that the Jallikattu was "backward, dangerous, a violation of animals’ rights and detrimental to India’s modernizing image." The stoppage of the festival, however, resulted in protests by the villagers who wanted this sport to continue. Finally, on assurances given by the State government that enough security and safety arrangements would be provided at all such sports locations in the villages, Jallikattu has been permitted to be observed as part of the Mattu Pongal festival. As a result of court’s intervention, doctors are ready at call to attend to injured young men or boys. A two tier high bamboo fencing is also erected between the bull ring and the audience who come to witness the fight in large numbers.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
religious festival celebrated on the day following the Pongal
Pongal
Thai Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over" or "spill over". The boiling...
festival (festival of first harvests) or the Makar Sankranti festival. Though the name of the festival is specific to Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, in India, it is also celebrated in other southern states such as Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
. Makar Sankranti is a festival that marks the start of northern declination (called Uttarayana
Uttarayana
Uttarāyaṇa , or Uttarayana, is the six-month period between Makar Sankranti and Karka Sankranti , when the sun travels towards the north on the celestial sphere. The name Uttarayana comes from joining two different Sanskrit words "Uttara" and "ayana"...
in Sanskrit) of the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
from the Zodiaca sign of Sagittarius
Sagittarius
Sagittarius may refer to:Astrology* Sagittarius , a Zodiac sign.Astronomy:* Sagittarius , corresponding to the astrological sign...
(Sanskrit name: Dhanurmas
Dhanurmas
Dhanurmas is a name given to a period of nearly one month. Dhanurmas starts with Margashirsha shukla ekadasi and extends up to the end of Dakshinayana. This period ends with the Makar Sankranti - the end of dakshinayana mostly occurs during the Pausha month of the Hindu Lunar calendar...
) to Capricorn (Sanskrit: Makara), which according to Hindu calendar
Hindu calendar
The hindu calendar used in ancient times has undergone many changes in the process of regionalization, and today there are several regional Indian calendars, as well as an Indian national calendar. Nepali calendar, Bengali calendar, Malayalam calendar, Tamil calendar, Telugu calendar, Kannada...
usually falls on 14 January. Mattu Pongal is for celebration of the cattle, particularly cows and bulls that play a vital role by working hard to help the farmers to raise crops on their fields, falls on the following day, the 15th of January. The festival is also observed by ethnic Tamil population of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
The festival day is also a special occasion when the landlord and the peasant, rich and poor, old and young all dine together in a spirit of bonhomie without any restraint of caste and creed. The festival is thus an occasion when the fresh harvests from the fields are shared in the form of food and sweets not only with the community but also with animals and birds. It also represents the change of season.
An important village sport, called the Jallikattu
Jallikattu
Jallikattu or Eruthazhuvuthal or Manju Virattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations usually on Mattu Pongal day. This is one of the oldest living ancient sports seen in the modern era. Although it sounds similar to the Spanish running of the bulls, it is...
or 'Manji Virattu'’, an integral part of the Mattu Pongal festival is observed with enthusiasm and expectations in the villages of Tamil Nadu. This sport is held generally in the evening of the Mattu Pongal day. In the past, it was the day when fierce bulls were chased by young youths of the village to retrieve the money that was tied to the horns of the bulls. In some villages it was held one day after the Mattu Pongal day, on the Kannum Pongal day. However, now it is held as a regular bull fight sports in demarcated rings in villages where the bull owners and the young men fighting the bulls vie for the prizes. This sport is much bloodier than the traditional Jallikattu observed 500 years ago.
Toponomy and legend
Mattu Pongal is made up of two words; ‘Mattu’ in TamilTamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
means “cow”. Pongal, also in Tamil Language, literally means “boiled rice” (a rice and lentil dish) but metaphorically means prosperity. The Pongal festival also represents celebration of "fertility and renewal" and is observed either for three days or four-days, after the end of the monsoon season and rice (paddy) crop is harvested.
According to a legend linked to Mattu Pongal, god Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
sent his bull Nandi (mount
Vahana
Vāhana denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular deva is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's mount. Upon the partnership between the deva and his vāhana is woven much iconography and mythology...
of Shiva and his gate keeper) from heaven to the earth to give his message to people that they should have an oil bath every day and eat once a month. Instead, Nandi wrongly advised people to take an oil bath once a month and eat every day. Shiva was annoyed with this advice related to food and in fit of rage, banished Nandi to permanently live on earth and help the farmers to produce the extra food crops needed for people to eat every day.
Similarities in other religions
Studies on similarities in the holding of Hindu seasonal festivals, particularly in South India, which are termed pre-historic and the DravidianDravidian peoples
Dravidian peoples is a term used to refer to the diverse groups of people who natively speak languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. Populations of speakers of around 220 million are found mostly in Southern India. Other Dravidian people are found in parts of central India, Sri Lanka,...
or Pre-Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
period with those of Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Europe, - according to Prof. Wilson - indicate that such similarities may not be coincidental. The winter solstice is the date of Sun entering Capricorn
Capricornus
Capricornus is one of the constellations of the zodiac; it is often called Capricorn, especially when referring to the corresponding astrological sign. Its name is Latin for "horned male goat" or "goat horn", and it is commonly represented in the form of a sea-goat: a mythical creature that is half...
in both the traditions that coincides with Makara Sankranti (called Uttarayana meaning the return of the luminary to the northern region), the first day of the new year starting with Magha
Magha (poet)
Magha was a Sanskrit poet at King Varmalata's court at Srimala, the-then capital of Gujarat . Magha was son of Dattaka Sarvacharya and grandson of Suprabhadeva...
month according to the Hindu Tamil calendar
Tamil calendar
The Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Tamil Nadu. It is also used in Pondicherry , and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is also used by Telugu speaking people in Tamil Nadu...
. This corresponds to 21 December as per Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
date and is called the sign of the Goat, while the same happens in mid-January according to Hindu calendar. Makara Sankranti event is celebrated among the Hindus for three days, with Mattu Pongal (feast of cattle) held the day after Sun entering Capricorn. (There is a slight variation in dates followed for the festival as per Hindu calendar varying from year to year but the essence of observing Makara Sankranti is the same among Hindus). Worship of cattle by Hindus during Mattu Pongal has a striking similarity with the catholic function held on 17 January in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as Saint Anthony
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great or Antony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
day, when cattle (the cows, horses, goats, asses and so forth) are blessed. Professor Wilson, has allegorically given an analogy:
The time of the year, the decorating of the cattle, the sprinkling of them with water, and the very purport of the blessing, that they may be exempt from evils, are so decidedly Indian, that could a Dravira Brahmin be set down of a sudden in the Piazza, and when he asked what ceremony he witnessed, there can be no doubt of his answer; he would at once declare they were celebrating the Pongal.
Observance
Observance of Mattu Pongal is part of the Pongal festival. Pongal is generally a four day festival of fervent celebrations (during 2010, it will be held from 13 to 16 January) marking the officially declared Tamil New Year day, the beginning of the month of Thai starting with 14 January every year, as per Tamil CalendarTamil calendar
The Tamil calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Tamil Nadu. It is also used in Pondicherry , and by the Tamil population in Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius and Sri Lanka. It is also used by Telugu speaking people in Tamil Nadu...
. The first day is called Bhogi - the last day of Dhanurmas
Dhanurmas
Dhanurmas is a name given to a period of nearly one month. Dhanurmas starts with Margashirsha shukla ekadasi and extends up to the end of Dakshinayana. This period ends with the Makar Sankranti - the end of dakshinayana mostly occurs during the Pausha month of the Hindu Lunar calendar...
(month of Saggitarius), a preparatory day before the Pongal and is in honour of god Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...
, the king of heaven. On this day it is spring cleaning, as people decorate their homes, buy new vessels and burn old and unwanted items. Pongal
Pongal
Thai Ponggal is a harvest festival celebrated by Tamils in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Indian Union Territory of Pondicherry and in Sri Lanka. Pongal coincides with the festival Makara Sankranthi celebrated throughout India. Pongal in Tamil means "boiling over" or "spill over". The boiling...
, the main festival, also called the Perum Pongal (big festival), is the second day when the Sun is worshipped signifying the first day of the month of Makara or Capricornus. It is celebrated as Makara Sankranti or simply “Sankranti” in the rest of the country. This is followed by the ‘Mattu Pongal’ celebration on the third day when bulls, cows and other farm animals are worshipped. The fourth day is the ‘Kannum Pongal’ or 'Kanru Pongal' (Calf Pongal) festival when calves are fed. However, the name 'Kannum' also denotes that on this day people visit elders in the villages or towns seeking their blessings.
On each of the four days festival, Kolam
Kolam
Kolam is a form of painting that is drawn using rice powder. A Kolam is a geometrical line drawing composed of curved loops, drawn around a grid pattern of dots. In South India, it is widely practised by female Hindu family members in front of their homes.-Purpose:Kolams are thought to bestow...
or threshold drawings are drawn with coloured rice powder or chalk powder, in the front yard of the houses, after due washing of the yard. On the first day images of rice are drawn, on the second day good luck signs of Sun are drawn and the Mattu Pongal day Kolam depicts cows also.
On all four days, Shiva's consort Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
and their son Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
are worshipped and the Pongal - the rice preparation - is offered to them in the puja and thereafter to the cattle. The neck of the pot in which Pongal rice is prepared is tied with fresh turmeric leaves and pieces of sugarcane. Ingredients cooked in the pot consist of rice, green gram and milk. While cooking, the overflow of milk is particularly observed as it has significance to the householder. If the milk over flows on the right side of the pot, it is considered an auspicious augury. Sometimes, an image of Ganesha is crafted with cow-dung. This crafted Ganesha is then bedecked with arugampul (kind of grass), thumbai (white flowers) and avaram (yellow flowers). The pongal cooked in mud pots are placed on the floor where a Kolam is drawn and skirted with red sand. Then, pongal-rice along with turmeric, ginger, sugar cane, yellow garlands and a stick that is used to drive the bulls are also placed as offering to Ganesha.
In some practices, Pongal is celebrated for three days with Kannum Pongal or Kannu Pongal observed concurrently with the Mattu Pongal. Sisters symbolically offer small part of the rice dishes prepared for the festival or coloured balls of cooked rice to crows and other birds such as sparrows, as a special prayer for the well being of their brothers. While making this offering to crows, they call out with words in Tamil, ‘Kakai Ku Pudi, Kuruvi Ku Pudi’, which literally means “this rice ball is for the crow, this rice ball is for the sparrow.”
On the Mattu Pongal day, cattle are washed, their horns painted and decorated with shining metal caps. Multi-coloured beads, tinkling bells, sheaves of corn and flower garlands are tied around their necks. Turmeric and kumkum are also devotionally put on the foreheads of the cattle. The cow–keepers dressed in their regale sprinkle the cattle with saffron water with mango leaves with prayers to protect them from evil and shout the popular slogan of the festival, “Pongal! Pongal!”. This prayer is a special wish for the progressive prosperity and growth of the cattle population, with the blessings of Indra and Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
(Gopala), who was a cowherd. Devotees pay their respect to cows by bending down, like praying in a temple, and touching their feet and foreheads, followed by an aarti
Aarti
Aarti , also spelled arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a form of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee or camphor is offered to one or more deities...
(showing camphor flame to the object of praise) and offering the cattle prasad
Prasad
Prasād is a mental condition of generosity, as well as a material substance that is first offered to a deity and then consumed...
(food offering, in this case is called Sakkar Pongal – a delicacy cooked of rice, moong dal (green gram) with jaggery
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar consumed in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is a concentrated product of cane juice without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color...
and dry fruits). The cattle are taken in a procession, attended by bands of music, through the village streets to a public space in the village. The resounding of their bells attracts the villagers as the young men race each other's cattle. Then the entire atmosphere becomes festive and full of fun and revelry. Big commotion is seen when the game "Jallikattu" or "Manji Virattu" starts in which groups of young men chase the running bulls.
Jallikattu
JallikattuJallikattu
Jallikattu or Eruthazhuvuthal or Manju Virattu is a bull taming sport played in Tamil Nadu as a part of Pongal celebrations usually on Mattu Pongal day. This is one of the oldest living ancient sports seen in the modern era. Although it sounds similar to the Spanish running of the bulls, it is...
- initially - was a bull taming village sport held in the after noon or evening of the Mattu Pongal celebrations. This sport was popular in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, particularly in Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirapalli
Tiruchirappalli ) , also called Tiruchi or Trichy , is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli District. It is the fourth largest municipal corporation in Tamil Nadu and also the fourth largest urban agglomeration in the state...
and Tanjavur. On this day, the bulls, which were worshipped and fed during the day, their horns were tied with bundles of money in the form of coins or notes. The young boys chased such bulls, lassoed them and retrieved the money tied to the horn. If they failed the bulls ran away and were seen only the next morning. But this was a milder form of the sport which was seen in most villages in Tamil Nadu 500 years back. This traditional sport changed during the Nayaka rule in Tamil Nadu From a harmless bull-chasing sport it got transformed into the present form of Jallikattu, which is a bloodier bull-wrestling sport that takes place now in villages throughout Tamil Nadu, to celebrate Mattu Pongal. Jallikattu, as an ancient sport of Tamil Nadu, has been corroborated from rock paintings of 'bull chasing sport' discovered on massive rock surfaces at Karikkiyur in Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, which are dated between 2,000 B.C. and 1,500 B.C.
The regular bull fights that are held now are in a well organized manner by bull owners and the youthful village men. In the present form, prizes are offered to the bull fighters and the bull owners. The bull fight is held, at a central location in the village where people assemble in large numbers to witness the fight. It is held in an enclosure with a 30 feet (9.1 m) marker. The bulls that are specially trained for this occasion are then led from the pen to the ring to fight, one by one, when young boys of the village grab the bull by its horn or neck or tail and try to hold on to it. If the boys are thrown off or hurt seriously within the ring no prize is given to them. If they hold on or even thrown off but are not in any way injured then the prize is given to them. If the contesting young men hold on to the bull from the marker entrance of the pen then they are given prizes. If the bulls win, then the prizes go to the bull owners. It is said that in some villages as many as 600 bulls, 600 participants and 10,000 spectators participate. The fight between man and the bull is quite fierce and many times bloody. It is considered a heroic act on the part of the young men. The young participants show off their heroism by displaying the number of cuts they have suffered during such fights. This type of fight is said to be akin to the bull fights of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. However, in this case, the fight is to win prizes by holding on to the bulls’ neck or horn. The bull is never killed, however many boys get killed by goring by the bull since they fight with their bare hands and with confidence of their strength. In many instances, the audiences watching the fight have also been injured by the ferocious bulls. In recent years, there have been deaths of young boys during this festival, which has created a furore among the public. In one year, there was a report of death of as many as 20 young men, apart from mauling and trampling of spectators.
As result of deaths of young men, the Supreme Court was approached to stop this festival, as it was considered inhuman and dangerous. The plea made was that the Jallikattu was "backward, dangerous, a violation of animals’ rights and detrimental to India’s modernizing image." The stoppage of the festival, however, resulted in protests by the villagers who wanted this sport to continue. Finally, on assurances given by the State government that enough security and safety arrangements would be provided at all such sports locations in the villages, Jallikattu has been permitted to be observed as part of the Mattu Pongal festival. As a result of court’s intervention, doctors are ready at call to attend to injured young men or boys. A two tier high bamboo fencing is also erected between the bull ring and the audience who come to witness the fight in large numbers.