18/01/2017 Jallikattu - its historical and cultural relevance | Hinduism Now

EnglishIndia


WriteForUs
ContactUs

Wednesday18January,2017

BreakingNews>

Activism,BreakingNews,India,PromotedNews

3HinduLeadersHackedtoDeathByMuslimGangsi...

SearchNewsTypeKeyword&HitEnter

TrendingTopics:
JayendraSaraswathi
AsaramBabu

TheAsymmetricDialogOfCivilizations:RajivMalhotra

Politics
India
USA
Lifestyle
Heritage
Wisdom
Events

Home HinduismNowMagazine
April2016
May2016
June2016
July2016
August2016
September2016
October2016
November2016
December2016
GlobalPress
HinduScriptureLibrary
TheKumbhMela

Navigate...
PublishedOn:Sun,Jan15th,2017
http://hinduismnow.org/blog/2017/01/15/jallikattu-historical-cultural-relevance/ 1/5
18/01/2017 Jallikattu - its historical and cultural relevance | Hinduism Now

Heritage|Byhinduismnow

Jallikattuitshistoricalandculturalrelevance
Send Like 384 Share

JalliinJallikattumeansgoldcoinstiedtothebullshorns.Kettumeanstotie.

Bravematadorswereeligiblebachelorsintheoldendays.Thisisthereasonwhymenusedtodisplaydare
devilry.

TheSpanishbullfightingisamostlyacowardlyversion,wherethebullhasaZILCHchance.InJalikattu,the
bulldoesNOTdie,norisitinjured.

TheSupremeCourthasimposedablanketbanonalltraditionalculturalpracticesandruralsportsallover
India,thatinvolvedbulls,includingJallikattu,Manjuvirattu,Vadam,EruthukattumThiruvizha,Reklaand
BullockcartracesofTamilnadu,Sethali,KaalapoottuinKerala,BailgadainMaharashtraandbullockcart
racesalloverIndia.

Inonesweepingorder,theSupremeCourthasbroughttoanendthousandsofyearsofevolutionofthe
IndianNativeCattle,thefarmersbestfriendeversinceitwasdomesticatedbyman.Weshouldunderstand
thatthesebreedshaveevolvedaccordingtotheterrain,climate,locallyavailablefeed,andhavecoexisted
peacefullywithhumanswhorearedthemandtookcareofthemashis/herownkin.Thecattle,inreturn,
helpedmanwithhisfarmwork,providingthemuchrequiredmusclepower,anddung,urine.

Thisisaspecialrelationshipthateveryfarmerunderstands,which,unfortunately,theSupremeCourtseems
havenoclueof,evenafteradecadeaftertheJallikattucaseenteredtheSupremeCourt.

OneoftheobservationsmadebytheSupremeCourtwasthatJallikattuisanentertainmentsportandwhy
shouldyounotplayavideogameofJallikattu?

IsJallikattuamereentertainmentsport?JallikattuisNOTanentertainmentsportandcannotbeconducted
forentertainment.AJallikattucanbeorganisedonlyonceayearinavillageandthattooONLYduringthe
annualvillagetemplefestival.ItisorganisedbytheVillageTempleCommitteeandnotbyany
sports/entertainmentclub.TherearenotournamentsforJallikattu.Unlikeothersportsthatareorganisedfor
entertainment,thereisnofirstplace,secondplacewinner.Foreachandeverybullthatentersthearena,
eitherthesportsmanisdeclaredthewinnerifhesuccessfullyembracesthebullorthebullisdeclaredthe
winner.Jallikattuisnosportatallitisacattleshowtoshowcasethemagnificenceofthevillagestudbulls.

AlthoughJallikattuiswidelyknownonlyasabullembracingsport,itisactuallyanancientcattleshowanda
stageforthevillageyouthtodemonstratetheirvalour,allrolledintoone.Infact,itisanexemplaryexample
ofancientIndianwisdomofcattlebreedingscience,brandingandmarketing.

Jallikattuinvolvesselectionofthebestofthebreed,improvementofcattlebreeds,cattleshows,creatinga
brandvalueforthecattleofthevillage/regionandthenmarketingthesame,thuscommandinghighpricesfor
theirproduce(cattle).ThisexceptionalsystemdevelopedbyTamilsthousandsofyearsagoisstillinvogue
inTamilnadu.IthascontinuednonstopevenunderMuslimrulersandtheBritishRaj,exceptduringtimesof
greatfamineandepidemicslikeplaguewhenthepeoplevoluntarilysuspendedit.

TounderstandhowJallikattuisapartandparcelofHinduReligion,weshouldunderstandtheancient
TempleBullSystemwhichisstillinvogueinTamilnadu.

TheTemplebullisnotrestrainedinanymanner.Itisallowedtoroamaroundthevillageanddoesnoteven
haveanoserope.Ithastherighttowalkintoanyfieldandgraze.Peoplebelievedthatifthetemplebull
grazesfromonesfarm,thenthatfamilywouldhaveabountifulharvest.Ifthetemplebullvisitsoneshouse
seekingwaterorfeed,thenthathouseholdwouldreceivesomegoodnewsetc.Thewholevillagepampers
thetemplebullitsonlytaskistoprovidefreestudservicetothevillagecows.

http://hinduismnow.org/blog/2017/01/15/jallikattu-historical-cultural-relevance/ 2/5
18/01/2017 Jallikattu - its historical and cultural relevance | Hinduism Now

Jallikattuisallaboutanunarmedmanembracingthebullbyitshumpforamaximumof30seconds!And
thatisallthereistoit.Just30secondsofembracingthebullbyitshump.

Forabull,anunarmedhumanislikeapininabowlinggame.Yetthebulldoesnotchaseasportsmandown
andattackhim.NotasinglefatalityhasbeenrecordedintheJallikattuarenapost2009.

JallikattuhasbeenapartandparceloftheHindutraditionalpracticesofTamilsforthousandsofyears.Itis
conductedasathanksgivingtothelocalvillagedeitytowhichthevillagebullsarebetrothed.Theoccasion
isusedtohonourbullsbelongingtothetempleandthevillage.

IfyoutravelaroundTamilnadu,youcanseestatuesofJallikattubullsandTemplebulls,erectedinside
temples.Pujasareperformedforthebullsalongwiththepujaforthedeity.Infact,thestatuesoftheTemple
bullssporttherealhornofthebull.Thetemplebullservicesthevillagecowsduringitsyouthandwhenitis
old,thevillagelovinglycaresforthebulltillitslastbreath.WhenatempleorJallikattubullpassesaway,it
isgivenagrandceremonialburialafterperformingitslastritessimilartothatofthevillagehead.Itis
usuallyburiedinthetemplegroundsorfarmoftheowner.Afteroneyear,thehornsareexhumedandplaced
onthestatuebuiltinthevillageTemple.TheTemplebullisconsideredsacredduringitslifetimeand
consideredasavillageGuardianGod(gramadevata)afteritsdeath.Dailypujasareconductedforthe
Templebullstatuealongwiththepujaforthedeity.

PhotoCourtesy:RareBookSocietyofIndia,
FacebookPage
http://hinduismnow.org/blog/2017/01/15/jallikattu-historical-cultural-relevance/ 3/5
18/01/2017 Jallikattu - its historical and cultural relevance | Hinduism Now

ForTamils,Jallikattuisasymbolofthewisdomoftheircivilizationaninseparablepartoftheirculture.

TamilswouldnotgiveuptheirtraditionalpracticeofJallikattu.

ThisarticlewasoriginallypublishedonRareBookSocietyofIndiabySparshSharma.

Like 384 Share Send

RelatedNews
Like 384 Share 0 Tweet Share

NithyanandaGurukul:MindblowingMysticSchoolinSouthernIndia

Mallakhamb:Indiahistoryshardestsportthatnooneknows

ElevenamazingfactsaboutPuriJagannathtemple

DeitiesinStone:HinduSculpturefromtheCollectionsoftheAsianArtMuseum

http://hinduismnow.org/blog/2017/01/15/jallikattu-historical-cultural-relevance/ 4/5
18/01/2017 Jallikattu - its historical and cultural relevance | Hinduism Now

0Comments Sortby Oldest

Addacomment...

FacebookCommentsPlugin

Search

SearchNewsTypeKeyword&HitEnter

HinduismNow
115,711likes

Liked SignUp

Youand10otherfriendslikethis

RecentPosts

TheconfusedModernHinduJanuary17,2017
TheAsymmetricDialogOfCivilizations:RajivMalhotraJanuary17,2017
NithyanandaGurukul:MindblowingMysticSchoolinSouthernIndiaJanuary16,2017
JallikattuitshistoricalandculturalrelevanceJanuary15,2017
TheneedtoprotectCowsJanuary15,2017

RecentComments
hinduismnowonContactUs
sanjeevonContactUs
AvinashSinghonContactUs
ruchionContactUs
JFHattendsRajivMalhotraeventatColumbiaUniversity|JusticeforHindusonWhatisAtrocity
Literature?Andwhyitiscriticalthatweunderstandit?

SearchNewsTypeKeyword&HitEnter
AllRightsReserved

http://hinduismnow.org/blog/2017/01/15/jallikattu-historical-cultural-relevance/ 5/5