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The white bull waits impatiently before a closed gate. He has a red garland tied to his horns and vermillion on his forehead - applied by the priest at the Muniyandisami temple. Behind the privileged temple bull stands a winding line of edgy beasts, succumbing to its keepers, who fight their counterparts trying to jump the queue.<br />
Sacrifice of the matadors
Don Sebastian2006-03-10 10:37:56
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The white bull waits impatiently before a closed gate. He has a red garland tied to his horns and vermillion on his forehead - applied by the priest at the Muniyandisami temple. Behind the privileged temple bull stands a winding line of edgy beasts, succumbing to its keepers, who fight their counterparts trying to jump the queue.
Beyond the gate, young men in kabbadi jerseys wait for their hour of glory. Some of them will carry home their prize while some will be carried home dead or injured. The announcer says the sport would start sharp 10 am. The matadors are drunk with excitement. The less adventurous climb the makeshift galleries after paying the gatekeepers.
Jallikattu, the bull run that marks the end of Pongal festivities in Tamil Nadu in India, is about to start in this village near Madurai. Many surrounding villages celebrated the ancient sport on the previous day - Mattupongal - inviting bulls and bull tamers from every village. But Alanganallur Jallikattu has an open invite and a fixed day - third day of the Tamil month of Thai. But the youth from this village has to go to other venues as they are not allowed to participate
Grasping glory in their own land.
The announcer reminds the participants of the rules and welcomes the tourists. The prizes are ushered in by the sponsors - local politicians, sports teams and pump set companies. Even before the bulls are set out, the situation is riotous. Policemen retreat to a safer place as the final warning comes. Matadors rub their palms with sand.
The magnificent white bull creates a channel through the shouting mob and fleets to freedom, unmindful of the many hands trying to grab its oiled hunch and sharpened horns. Another temple bull follows him. The third one is trapped. Men scramble on top of it, two men clinging from either side of its hunch. But the prize goes to the village committee. This sport of valour recognises only one-to-one duels.
The raw
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
