Jallikattu (Madurai)
ஜல்லிக்கட்டு
15 Jan – 17 Jan 2027
தை 1 15 JanAvaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur, Madurai district
Traditional bull-taming sport held during Pongal; Madurai district's events at Avaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alanganallur are the best known.
Expected: Avaniyapuram on Thai Pongal (Jan 15), Palamedu on Mattu Pongal (Jan 16), Alanganallur Jan 17. Dates are notified by the Madurai district administration in late December or early January.
Jallikattu, also called eru thazhuvuthal, is a traditional sport held in the Pongal season. Bulls are released one at a time from a narrow enclosure (the vadivasal) into an arena, and registered tamers try to hold on to the bull's hump for a set distance or time. Bulls that are not held are declared winners, and prizes go to both owners and tamers.
Madurai district holds three of the most attended events: Avaniyapuram (usually on Thai Pongal day), Palamedu (Mattu Pongal) and Alanganallur (the day after). Many other villages, especially in Pudukkottai, Tiruchirappalli, Sivaganga and Dindigul districts, hold events through January to May.
The sport has a contested legal history. The Supreme Court banned it in 2014. After large public protests, Tamil Nadu amended the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 2017 to allow jallikattu under regulation, and the Supreme Court upheld the state law in May 2023. Events now require district administration permission, online registration of bulls and tamers, veterinary checks on every bull, medical checks for tamers, double barricading and on-site medical teams.
Visitors see the arena from galleries built along the barricades; events start early in the morning and run into the afternoon.
Good to know
- Jallikattu is dangerous for spectators as well as tamers: watch only from the official galleries and never stand near the barricades or the bull collection area.
- Follow police and volunteer instructions; entry, parking and timings are set by the Madurai district administration and announced a few days before.
- Arrive very early; galleries fill by sunrise and the roads to Alanganallur and Palamedu are congested.
- Carry water, a hat and sunscreen; there is little shade and food stalls are limited.
- Do not approach or touch the bulls before or after the event, and fly no drones without police permission.
