Jallikattu is the traditional Tamil bull-taming sport held during the Pongal harvest season in the month of Thai (mid-January), in which young men attempt to hold on to the hump of a running bull. Rooted in Sangam-era tradition and tied to the veneration of cattle at Mattu Pongal, it is most famous at Alanganallur, Palamedu and Avaniyapuram near Madurai.
When: Pongal season in the month of Thai — from Mattu Pongal onward (mid-January), with events through the month
Where: Tamil Nadu, especially the Madurai belt — Alanganallur, Palamedu, Avaniyapuram — and districts across the south of the state
Observance: Temple-blessed bulls released from the vadivasal gate; contestants attempt to cling to the hump for a set distance; prizes for tamer or untamed bull
Cattle connection: Held in the season of Mattu Pongal, the Pongal day honouring cattle; bulls are decorated and worshipped before the event
Regional name: Jallikattu · Sallikattu · Eru Thazhuvuthal ("embracing the bull") · Manju Virattu
An ancient sport of the harvest
Jallikattu descends from eru thazhuvuthal, "embracing the bull", a contest remembered in Sangam-era Tamil poetry, where the classical literature pictures herders' youths grappling bulls before admiring crowds. The later name comes from salli kasu — coins tied in a cloth to the bull's horns as the victor's purse, whence salli-kattu, the "coin bundle". The sport belongs to the Pongal season: after Mattu Pongal, the day of the harvest festival on which cattle are washed, painted, garlanded and thanked for the year's labour, villages hold their Jallikattu as a festival of the same bond between farmer and beast. It has also served a practical purpose the tradition itself emphasises — showcasing and selecting the strongest studs of native cattle breeds such as the Kangayam and Pulikulam, whose preservation supporters cite as a living reason for the sport. Prized bulls are famous by name, and a bull no man can hold brings its village lasting pride.
The event, and the controversy
A Jallikattu arena centres on the vadivasal, the narrow gate from which each bull bursts into the open. Contestants — unarmed, by rule using no ropes or weapons — attempt to grasp the bull's hump and cling on for a prescribed distance or number of leaps; succeed and the tamer takes the prize, while a bull that shakes off all comers wins honour for its owner. The most celebrated events at Avaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur near Madurai follow one another over the Pongal days. The sport is genuinely controversial: citing injuries to bulls and humans, the Supreme Court of India banned Jallikattu in 2014; in January 2017 massive peaceful protests across Tamil Nadu, centred on Chennai's Marina Beach, led the state to legislate an exemption permitting the sport with regulations, and in 2023 the Supreme Court upheld that law. Regulated events now run with veterinary inspection, barricading and medical teams, though debate between animal-welfare advocates and cultural custodians continues.
Jallikattu and the Pongal season in Ottawa & Canada
Jallikattu cannot happen outside its arenas — it exists only in Tamil Nadu's Pongal-season villages, under state regulation. For Tamil families in Ottawa, it is part of the texture of Thai month rather than something to stage: households keep Thai Pongal and Mattu Pongal at home with the pongal pot, kolam and thanksgiving, and many follow the Alanganallur and Palamedu events through Tamil television and live streams that broadcast them each January. The sport is also a doorway for teaching Canadian-raised children about Tamil agrarian heritage — Sangam poetry, native cattle breeds, and the 2017 movement that made Jallikattu a symbol of cultural identity. Families visiting Tamil Nadu in January can attend as spectators; the famous venues draw large crowds, so local guidance on viewing arrangements is worth seeking.
Each link opens our computed festival calendar with exact dates and timings for your city.
Questions
Is Jallikattu legal today?
Yes, in regulated form. The Supreme Court of India banned it in 2014, but after the large 2017 protests Tamil Nadu enacted a law permitting Jallikattu with safeguards — veterinary checks, barricaded arenas and medical teams — and in 2023 the Supreme Court upheld that state law. Events are run under district administration oversight.
Do participants harm the bull?
The rules forbid weapons, ropes and striking; contestants may only cling to the hump with bare hands, and bulls are inspected before release. Welfare organisations argue the event is inherently stressful for the animal, while custodians of the tradition point to the rules, the reverence shown to bulls at Mattu Pongal, and the sport's role in preserving native breeds. Both positions are part of the ongoing public debate.
Source: Agrarian festival tradition of the Pongal season in Tamil Nadu, strongest in the Madurai region. Regional versions may vary — this text follows the version most widely used in community worship.