Event Tourism -- Pongal and Jallikattu
In the month of January when the Northern India faces Winter and some times rains due to
Western Disturbances, Tamil Nadu in The Southern India remains unaffected and prepares for one of the most famous festival in India -- Pongal.
The conditions in South India is ideal for a person like me who hates winter and is tolerant to the summer condition , in addition to the moderate climate the southern states feels very vibrant due to the upcoming festival and sports i.e., Pongal and Jallikattu.
The festival provides a spiritual connect with our maker and the Jallikattu pumps the adrenaline in our blood to a next level when we see hundreds of bulls and the men trying to tame the bull with their bare hand.
Before jumping to Jallikattu , I would like to introduce my readers to the age old Pongal festival and Jallikattu is just a part of this amazing festival.
Pongal
Pongal or Thai Pongal is a 4 days harvest festival celebrated in the state of Tamil Nadu, it dedicated to our beloved lord Surya (Sun). In Tamil Pongal means "overflowing", signifying abundance and prosperity.
The Celebration of Pongal dates back to Sangam Age around 200 B.C. Pongal also finds mention in the Sanskrit Puranas
The legend relating to the celebration of Pongal is that , Once Shiva asked his bull Basava to go to the earth and tell the mortals to have an oil bath every day and to eat once a month , But Basava by mistake announced just the opposite i.e., the mortals to eat daily and have oil bath once a month. Shiva was enraged hearing about the mistake and cursed Basava to leave the land of lord and live on earth forever, Basava would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food.
The Tamil people have great faith in the lord Shiva and great respect for the cattle's. During these days the Bull taming festival of Jallikattu is also organised.
Pongal is celebrated for four days and each day has different significance .
Bhogi
The day preceding Pongal is Bhogi. On this day old things are left and new possessions are celebrated. The disposed items is burnt in the bonfire. The houses are cleaned , horns of the bulls are painted .
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| Bhogi |
Thai Pongal
It is the main event and takes place on the second day. Milk is cooked in the vessel and freshly harvested rice grains are added to the pot. The participants blow a conch(blow horn made from bulls horn) called sanggu and shout "Pongalo Pongal". The dish is called pongal accompanied with sweets is served in to the other members of the house.
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| Pongal dish |
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| Kolam |
"Kolam" is drawn in the front of the house and home is decorated with banana and mango leaves.
Maatu Pongal
It is celebrated on the third day. The people regard their cattle as their wealth and on this day cattle are bathed and decorated with garlands and villagers pray to their cattle's and recognize their effort in the well being of the family.
On this day sports like Jallikattu and bull taming is played by men, while women do "Kanu Pidi"
i.e. offer prayer and hopes that the ties of brother and sisters remain strong. The women feed birds and crows. In the evening devotees pray to Lord Ganesha.
Kaanum Pongal
The word "Kaanum" means to visit. Many families hold reunion on this day. This marks the final day of the festival.
One of the most interesting scenes for the tourists is the bull taming sport called Jallikattu which is held on the third day i.e., on Maatu Pongal.
Jallikattu
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| Jallikattu |
Jallikattu is a bull taming sports which is as old as the Harrapan Culture (3000 year old). The inscriptions found in Mohenjoraro ,a 3000 year old site of Harrapan Civilization, dipicts the earliest evidence of Jallikattu in India. More over in Tamil Nadu another inscription dating back to 200 B.C. was discovered.
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| 2000 year old evidence |
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| 3000 year old inscription |
According to local folklore, during the rule of the Nayaka Kings, an arena (the biggest in the village) was designated for the sports. A bag of coin was tied on the horn of the bull and the men of the villages tried to tame the bull and get a hold of the bag of coin.
In present times hundreds of bulls of Bos indicus genus are breed for the purpose of Jallikattu. The bulls are left in a ground and men try to tame them.
Due to the risk involved and the death of many people and bulls in the festival the Supreme Court ordered to ban the age old tradition but the Government had to bow down to the will of the people and Jallikattu had to be legalised but few safety measures have been prescribed.
In 2018 a record number of participants took part in the sports nearly 1400 bulls participated in the festival.
Though the festival seems to the outsiders cruel but in reality the villagers have a great respect for the bulls and they worship them as the incarnation of Basava (a bull of shiva). This living culture makes us Indian feel that we are part of a greater culture and that our ancestors have kept such exotic cultures alive for thousands of years.
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