In Madurai district, in the area called "Sorinayagampati" (now it is Sorikampati), there is a rich person called Karuthamayan. He had a last son named Alagudevan and wandered recklessly around the city with his friend Mayandi. So Karuthamyan thought that when he gets married he will become responsible. Karuthamayan found a bride for his son's name called Oyammal. She imposes a condition on Alagudevan if he wants to marry her he should control his seven bulls. Alagudevan accepts the condition and starts training. Every part of the village came to see a bullfight with Alagudevan successfully finished controlling the game with the bull but the last bull hit in the stomach of Alagudevan had to fight with his life but died due to Oyammal's brother became jealous of Alagudevan and he gave poison to Alagudevan. For the memorable village of Alagudevan people built a temple for him and his friend Mayandi. In the temple, the place called Karuvarai has a statue of Alagudevan and in front of the temple the statue of his friend Mayadi. From that year on, bullfighting was practiced every year due to the memorable Alagudevan. Later he changed the game of selecting a groom for a woman: if a girl is born in a house, the father buys a bull and they feed her and give her training for a bull. So the woman's suitor was the winner of the event, whoever managed to tame the bull was declared the aspiring groom. So in ancient times bullfighting was considered a sport aimed only at selecting the groom. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Nowadays bullfights become a traditional part of Pongal celebration. It is an ancient festival of South India, especially Tamilians, it is basically a harvest festival celebrated for four days in Tamil Nadu in the month of January-February (Thai) during the solar equinox after harvesting of crops like rice, sugar cane, turmeric, etc. The history of the festival can be traced back to the Sangam era and is considered the 'Dravidian harvest festival'. India is a land of festivals and also represents our culture. Among other festivals, Pongal is also one of them - the uniqueness of the festival reminds us of the importance of natural resources. According to legends, during this festive season, unmarried girls prayed for the agricultural prosperity of the country and, for this purpose, observed penance during the Tamil month of Markazi. They were obtained from the consumption of milk and dairy products and did not grease their hair for the whole month. The use of harsh words is strictly refrained from them. Ceremonial bath in the early morning as part of the penance ritual. The importance of Pongal is that it is basically a harvest festival or it can be considered as the "thanksgiving festival" because this festival is celebrated to thank the sun god and lord Indra for helping farmers get more productive crops. During the festival, people reject old things and welcome new things. As we know, India is an agricultural country and most of the festivals are related to nature. Just like another festival, Pongal is referred to as uttarayan punyakalam which has a special significance in Hindu mythology and is considered extremely auspicious. This festival is celebrated for four days, each day characterized by different holidays. The first day is called Bhogi festival. The second day is called Thai Pongal. The third day is called Mattu Pongal and the fourth day is called Khanum Pongal. It was celebrated as Thai niradal. On mattu Pongal, people washed their cattle and horns and decorated themwith paintings. Flower garlands, jingle bells and multi-coloured beads are tied around the necks, cattle owners sprinkle saffron water and mango leaves on the cows and offer prayers to protect them from all evils and worship Lord Krishna and Lord Indra for the growth and prosperity of the their cattle population. And people worship cows by touching their foreheads and feet, this is followed by an aaarthi. On this day there is a special dish known as Sakkara Pongal, prepared with moong dal, cooked rice, dry fruits and jiggery, it is first offered to the cows and later distributed to everyone as 'cattle prasad'. And people worship Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha during Pongal celebrations. Different types of rice offerings are made to their god and later offered to the cattle. The meaning of mattu Pongal is according to Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva once asked Basava (bull) to visit the earth and ask humans to take an oil massage and bath every day. But Basava announced that he eats every day and takes an oil bath once a month. This angers Lord Shiva and he cursed the bull to live on earth forever and said that the bull must plow the fields and help people produce more food. So cattle are considered equal to God, in Indian villages stud bulls are kept as part of the village commons and it is said that without the bull praying to Shivan the puja is incomplete. For example, people believe that if the temple bull grazes on their farm, that family will have a bountiful harvest. If the temple bull visits someone's house in search of water or food, then that family would receive some good news, etc. In Tamil Nadu, we can see statues of jallikattu bulls and temple bulls, erected inside the temples. Pujas are performed for the bulls along with the puja for the god. In fact, the temple's bull statues sport the real bull's horn. The temple bull serves the cows of the village during his youth and when he is old, the village lovingly offers its last breath for the bull. When a temple or jallkattu bull dies, he is given a grand ceremonial burial after performing his last rites similar to those of the village head. He is usually buried on the temple grounds or on the owner's farm. After a year the horns are exhumed and placed on the statue erected in the village temple. The Temple bull is considered sacred during his lifetime and considered the god of the village after his death. So people after harvest celebrate this festival with crops and livestock. An integral part of Mattu Pongal, an important village sports celebration, is 'Manju virattu' or 'Jallikattu', this activity is observed with full anticipation and enthusiasm in the villages of Tamil Nadu. It is played in the evening of Mattu Pongal day, in some villages kaanum Pongal is held, on the day after Mattu Pongal. It is mainly played in Avaniyapuram, Palamedu and Alaganallur, this place comes under Madurai district. For the game, the bull was trained before the 40 days of Pongal. When the bull wakes up in the morning they are tied to the sun for two hours. Then a walking session for one or two kilometers is imparted. After the walk they are fed soaked raw rice. Then they are made to rest until evening, and then given a walking session again. A solid mixture of cottonseed, urad dal and maize is fed to the bulls before they are allowed into the stable. Two swimming sessions per week are taught in the morning, finally the tamers play with the bull and practice facing the tamers in the sport of bullfighting. In the main game, the bull was decorated and kept in vadivasal, no tamer was allowed to touch it.In particular, when the bull was released from the vadivasal, the participant tried to hold onto its hump and no group of participants could tame it at the same time. A participant must grab the large hump on the bull's back with both arms and hold on to it while the bull tries to escape or the participant holds the hump as long as possible, tries to stop the bull, in some game participants need to remove the flags on the bull's horns. There are three different versions of bullfighting, the first version is Vadi Manju Virattu of this type and bullfights are mainly held in the districts of Madurai, Pudukottai, Theni, Tanjore and Salem. This type of sport is popularized by television and films. It involves the bull being released from the enclosure (vadivasal) through an opening. When the bull comes out of the pen, a person holds tightly to the bull's hump. The bull then attempts to shake it off by running or using its horns or any other means to get off the person. According to the rules, the person should hold the bull's hump to control it and win the prize. This version of the game is more like a game where only one person attempts the feat of holding the bull. The application of this rule strictly depends on the village in which it is conducted. The second version is Vaeli virattu, this version is most popular in Sivagangi, Manamadurai and Madurai districts. In this version of the sport, the bull is released into an open field without any barricade restrictions. The bulls, once released, begin running in the direction they prefer. Most bulls try to escape from the human population, but there are some bulls that resist and attack anyone who tries to approach them. These bulls play for a while and provide an entertaining spectacle for the spectators. The latest version is Vadam Manjuvirattu, "vadam" means rope in Tamil. The bull is tied to a 50-foot-long rope and is free to move through space. A team of 7 or 9 members must attempt to control the bull within 30 minutes. This version is very safe for spectators as the bull is tied and spectators are protected by barricades. In all versions of the bullfight to subdue it is very important who tames the bull is the winner of the game and receives a prize, the prize is taken from the bull's horns or from the bicycle, car, etc. If no tamer wins the prize goes to a bull (family bull). In the game, men separate from boys, and it is considered a test of masculinity, male power and virility, so this game is only for men, not for women. The main reason for bullfighting is the development of livestock breeds, the important breed is Pullikulam, Malamadu, Bargur and Umblachery breed and the main one is Kangayam bulls. The Kangayam breed is used for both sport and agriculture, this breed in its native area is also known by other names of kanganad and kongu although the name kangayam is well known. They are two varieties of kangayam cattle, one small and the other large. Both varieties of this breed are very powerful and active. Kangayam and Umblachery breeds are both similar to each other, this type of bulls have a fearsome temperament. They are used for plowing and bullfighting, the calves are red in color at birth and become gray in color after six months of age and is good for hard work. The next breed is the Pulikulam breed, which takes its name from the village where it originated, Pulikulam, in Sivagangi district. It is that this village got the name "pulikulam" (tiger pond) because a few centuries ago, forest tigers used to quench their thirst in the pond. These bulls were capable of fighting ferociously with tigers. It is also raised in Madurai, Virudhunagr and Theni districts of Tamil Nadu. Malamadu and Bargur are.