Jallikattu has been known to be practiced during the Tamil classical period (400-100 BCE).[1][10] It was common among the Ayar people who lived in the ‘Mullai’ geographical division of the ancient Tamizh Nadu.[8][11] Later, it became a platform for display of bravery, and prize money was introduced for participation encouragement. A seal from the Indus Valley Civilization depicting the practice is preserved in the National Museum, New Delhi.[12] A cave painting in white kaolin discovered near Madurai depicting a lone man trying to control a bull is estimated to be about 1,500 years old.[13]
Variants and rules
* Vadi manjuviraṭṭu: This is the most common category of jallikattu. The bull is released from a closed space (vadi vasal) and the contestants attempt to wrap their arms or hands around the hump of the bull and hold on to it to win the award. Only one person is allowed to attempt at a time. This variant is most common in the districts of Madurai, Theni, Thanjavur, and Salem.
- Vēli viraṭṭu: In this variant the approach is slightly different as the bull is directly released into open ground. The rules are the same as that of vadi majuviraṭṭu. This is a popular variant in the districts of Sivagangai and Madurai.
- Vaṭam manjuviraṭṭu: In this variant, the bull is tied with a 15 m (49 ft) rope (vatam means 'circle' in Tamil). There are no other physical restrictions for the bull and hence it can move freely anywhere. The maximum time period given is 30 minutes. A team of seven to nine members can attempt to untie the gift token that is tied on the bull's horn.
Bulls enter the competition area through a gate called the vadi vasal. Typically, participants must only hold onto the bull's hump. In some variations, they are disqualified if they hold onto the bull's neck, horns or tail. There may be several goals to the game depending on the region. In some versions, contestants must either hold the bull's hump for 30 seconds or for 15 metres (49 ft).[15] If the contestant is thrown by the bull or falls, they lose. Some variations only allow for one contestant. If two people grab the hump, then neither person wins.[16]
Preparation
With the introduction of the Regulation of Jallikattu Act, 2009,[18] by the Tamil Nadu legislature, the following activities were done in preparation of the event:
- A written permission is obtained from the respective collector, thirty days prior to conduct of event along with notification of the event location.
- The arena and the way through which the bulls pass through is double-barricaded, in order to avoid injuries to the spectators and by-standers who may be permitted to remain within the barricades.
- The necessary gallery areas are built up along the double barricades.
- The necessary permissions are obtained from the collector for the participants and the bulls fifteen days prior.
- Final preparation before the event include a complete testing by the authorities of the Animal Husbandry Department, to ensure that performance enhancement drugs, liquor or other irritants are not used on the bulls.
Animal rights concerns
Between 2008 and 2014, 43 humans and 4 bulls were killed in the jallikattu events. In 2017, there were 23 deaths in addition to about 2,500 human injuries and several instances of injury to the bulls.[19] 2020 saw 5 deaths from participation in the event.[20]
Animal welfare concerns are related to the handling of the bulls before they are released and also during competitor's attempts to subdue the bull. Practices before the bull is released include prodding the bull with sharp sticks or scythes, extreme bending of the tail which can fracture the vertebrae, and biting of the bull's tail. There are also reports of the bulls being forced to drink alcohol to disorient them, or chilli peppers being rubbed in their eyes to aggravate the bull.[21]
During attempts to subdue the bull, they are stabbed by various implements such as knives or sticks, punched, jumped on and dragged to the ground. In variants in which the bull is not enclosed, they may run into traffic or other dangerous places, sometimes resulting in broken bones or death.[22][23] Protestors claim that jallikattu is promoted as bull taming, however, others suggest it exploits the bull's natural nervousness as prey animals by deliberately placing them in a terrifying situation in which they are forced to run away from the competitors which they perceive as predators and the practice effectively involves catching a terrified animal.[24] Along with human injuries and fatalities, bulls themselves sometimes sustain injuries or die, which people may interpret as a bad omen for the village.
Alasdair Cochrane argues that a human interest in culture cannot outweigh animal interests in not suffering or being killed, using jallikattu as an example practice that cannot be justified.In his work Animal Rights Without Liberation, which analyses the use of animals in cultural practices and concerns about hypocrisy, political theorist Alasdair Cochrane argues that culture cannot outweigh animal rights[25] or outweigh animal interests in not being killed,[26] even if this entails the destruction of cultures "defined entirely by the grave harm [they cause] to animals"[27] and cites Jallikattu as an example to argue that culture or human interests cannot outweigh animal interests in not suffering.[28] An investigation by the Animal Welfare Board of India concluded that "jallikattu is inherently cruel to animals".[29][30]
Animal welfare organisations such as the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO)[31] and PETA India have protested against the practice.[32][33] The Indian Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi denied the claim by Jallikattu aficionados that the sport is only to demonstrate the "Tamil love for the bull", citing that the Tirukkural does not sanction cruelty to animals.[34]
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