500 tamers and 800 bulls on song at jallikattu held after three years in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: After a gap of three years, the district witnessed a jallikattu event near Neelambur bypass at Chettipalayam on Sunday with the participation of 800 bulls and 500 tamers.

Minister for electricity, prohibition and excise V Senthilbalaji flagged off the event in the presence of Coimbatore collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar and superintendent of police K Karthikeyan.

A large crowd witnessed the event jointly organised by the Tamilar Jallikattu Panpattu Peravai and the Coimbatore district administration.

Prior to the event, the bull tamers took an oath administered by the district collector. The sporting event began with the release of the Karivaratharaja Perumal temple bull from the ‘Vaadivasal', followed by others in sequence. Bulls were brought from various districts, including Madurai, Pudukottai, Trichy, Salem, Thanjavur, Dindigul, Theni, Ramanathapuram, and Coimbatore.

Most of the tamers were from Madurai and neighbouring districts. Both the bulls and the tamers underwent medical checks before the event. The tamers participated in batches, with 50 tamers allowed into the arena for each round, which lasted an hour. Those who successfully tamed bulls qualified for the final round.

A wide range of prizes were given to the winners, including gold coins, steel cots, bureaus, and utensils. Women who brought their bulls to the arena were cheered by the spectators and the organising committee.

The event left more than 50 bull tamers injured, but they were treated as outpatients on the spot.

Abisithar from Sivaganga district, who tamed 21 bulls, won the first prize — a car. Mani from Madurai, who tamed 18 bulls, secured second place and received a two-wheeler. Bala from Virudhunagar, who tamed 15 bulls, came third and was awarded an electric scooter.

The title for the best bull went to the Virudhunagar Karuppaiah Konar bull, which was awarded a car.