Chennai: Tamil Nadu's famo`us bull taming festival 'Palamedu Jallikattu' continues on the 2nd day on Tuesday in Madurai district of the southern state with 1000 bulls and 700 bull tamers participating in the competition. The annual bull taming festival is being held in Madurai at the 'Vaadivasal' (Way of Jallikattu Bulls' entrance to the stadium) set up in the Manjamalai Aattru Thidal (Jallikattu Ground) on the Occasion of 'Thai Pongal' Festival.
The festival marks the celebration of Paddy Harvest Day in Tamil Nadu. The competition is jointly organized by the Palamedu Gram Public Mahalinga Math (Temple Monastery) Committee and the Madurai District Administration. On the second day of the festival on Tuesday, the bull-tamers took oath in front of Madurai District Collector Sangeetha at 7 am to start the day's proceedings.
The bulls of various temples in Palamedu will be untied during the day as the tamers will try to pacify them with their skills to proceed ahead in the competition. The competition is being held in at least 8 rounds till 4 pm and each round will have 50 to 75 bull-tamers participating. Players who capture the most bulls in each round are allowed to play in the next round.
According to the organiser, so far 3,677 bulls and 1,412 bull-tamers have registered online to play in Palamedu Jallikattu competitions. The bull-tamer who captures the most bulls with enthusiasm in the Jallikattu competition will be given a car as the first prize on behalf of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Sports Minister Udayanidhi Stalin.
Tight security arrangements are in place around the competition site even as medical camps for special first aid treatment have been organized by the district health department and veterinary department for bull-tamers and bulls. Also, ambulances have also been kept on standy to take the injured players to Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital in case of attacks by the bulls.
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Additionally, volunteers from Indian Red Cross Society are involved in the work. An official said that more than 2000 constables have been deployed on behalf of the Madurai Metropolitan Police. In this Jallikattu competition ground, coconut coir waste is piled up to a height of about 500 meters to one and a half feet so that the bulls and bull-tamers do not get injured.
