Taking care of bulls, Jalikattu set to hit the soils of Tamil Nadu from 14th January

Chennai, January 5: The most talked yet controversial ‘Jalikattu’ set to hit the soils of Tamil Nadu from 14 January. This year’s Jallikattu season in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu will begin the first event being held at Avaniyapuram on January 14.

This will be followed by two more events, at Palamedu on January 15 with the finale organised by the state government, set for Alanganallur on January 16.

On Wednesday, a meeting was held between officials of revenue, police, animal husbandry, fire and rescue services and tourism at Madurai district collectorate to chalk out security arrangements and discuss the rules and regulations of the bull taming sport.

The District Collector Veeraraghavarao said that the sport will be held from 8am to 3pm and around 600 bulls from each village are likely to be used for the three-day event.

“I have strictly instructed the organizing committees to adhere to rules while conducting the event and no harm should be caused to the bulls,” the Collector told the reporters.

A Jallikattu monitoring committee comprising senior level officials will be formed to scrutinise the event and the district revenue officer will supervise it, said Veeraraghavarao.

The Collector added that only a three-year-old bull, four feet tall (with three teeth) is eligible for the sport, and bull owners will be required to get the fitness certificate for their bulls from the local veterinary hospital. The jallikattu organising committee will be coordinating with officials in this process, the Collector added.

Tamers in the age group of 20 and 45 years are allowed to participate, but their fitness will be assessed prior to the event, the report says. A medical team and ambulance will be on hand at the venue for any emergency assistance.