Madurai (Tamil Nadu)

Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Friday flagged off the jallikattu event at the Manjamalai Riverbed in Palalmedu, near Madurai.

The bull-taming sport reached a fever pitch in Madurai as the second of the three major Pongal events commenced at Palamedu, following a high-stakes opening at Avaniyapuram.

According to officials, over 1,000 bulls and nearly 500 tamers are participating in today’s event.

A massive deployment of over 2,000 police personnel is managing the crowd, said police sources.

For Friday’s event too, the top tamer and the owner of the best bull are set to win a car and a tractor, respectively, sponsored by the DMK leadership.

The season opener concluded late on January 15 with Balamurugan from Valayankulam emerging as the champion.

Balamurugan tamed 22 bulls to win the Chief Minister’s prize. G R Karthik from Avaniyapuram secured second place by taming 17 bulls, winning a motorcycle.

The bull belonging to the Virumandi Brothers was declared the best after stubbornly evading all tamers. They were awarded a tractor.

Medical teams monitoring first day event reported that 57 people (including 27 tamers and 9 spectators) were injured. Eleven individuals were shifted to the Madurai Government Rajaji Hospital for specialised care.

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The grand finale of jallikattu will be held at Alanganallur on January 17 and will be inaugurated by Chief Minister M K Stalin.

As part of preparations for the event, 'vaadivasal' (entry point) has been reinforced, and special galleries have been put up to accommodate a significant number of international tourists.