PHOTO ESSAY: Centuries-old bull festival in southern India remains a popular draw

AVANIYAPURAM, India — Hours before daybreak in Avaniyapuram, in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, a large crowd gathers to celebrate the annual harvest festival called Pongal. Spectators occupy long makeshift galleries erected on both sides of a barricaded track. Those who can’t find space climb onto the rooftops of nearby houses.

At one end of the track below, dozens of barefoot men in brightly colored numbered shirts and matching shorts are jostling, pulling themselves up onto others’ shoulders and trying to see what stands behind a narrow opening.

A stout bull suddenly charges through the opening, leaping several feet into the air as it emerges. Two men throw themselves on top of it, trying to hold on to its protruding hump. Neither succeeds and within seconds the bull disappears along the track.

The men regroup and wait for another chance at the gate. They can see an agitated bull with marigold garlands and vermillion paste on its hump and horns — marks of a ritual Hindu prayer conducted before the event.

The bull bolts out, but rather than running straight along the corridor, it charges at the men, who scramble, jumping up onto the barricades and cowering on the ground near the edge.

The bull keeps charging with its head lowered, kicking a few men as it runs past. One competitor, seizing his opportunity, jumps onto the distracted bull and holds onto its hump as the bull turns and runs along the track, sending loud cheers through the crowd.

This is Jallikattu, a centuries-old tradition in which male participants display valor and skill. Prizes include utensils, mattresses, chairs, bicycles and even a car. But the prizes mean little to the champions who crave the esteem and adulation of their village and beyond.

Manikanda Prabhu, popularly known as Mudakathan Mani, is one such champion. Between 1996 and 2023, he claims to have won about 4,000 times across Tamil Nadu. A contestant wins if he can hold on to the bull for three jumps or for 30 seconds or for a distance of 15 meters (49 feet).

“I was passionate about it from a very young age and traveled across the state to compete in Jallikattu events,” he said, sitting in his small office in nearby Madurai.

Surrounding him are the trophies he won over the years and even a framed honorary doctorate awarded by a virtual university. Not visible are the scars his body bears from years of competitions.

“I now own bulls and train young men to compete in the sport,” he says with a smile.

Siva Swamy, a construction worker, has been competing for 13 years and has won several times.

“I am a different man while competing. Adrenaline takes over and makes me feel like a warrior in the arena. Pain and injury don’t deter me,” he said.

“It’s a family tradition and I feel good to be carrying it forward. I would like to be remembered as a famous champion and be the pride of my village,” he added.

Animal rights activists call it a cruel practice and petitioned successfully for its ban in 2014 in India’s Supreme Court. But after protests in Tamil Nadu, new legislation exempted the event from animal cruelty laws in 2017.

Unlike a somewhat similar traditional event in Pamplona, Spain, bulls are not harmed after the event but tended to carefully so they are in good shape for future events.