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It's time for the most debated sport -- Jallikattu -- again! The bull-taming sport is popular in Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Theni, Pudukkottai and Dindigul districts of Tamil Nadu — also known as the Jallikattu belt. Jallikattu is celebrated in the second week of January, during the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal. (PTI)
This year, the farmland of P Rajasekaran, the president of Jallikattu Peravai-Tamil Nadu is buzzing as the sport's annual season nears. (PTI)
While regular agriculture related work is on, the focus at his farm in Varichur village in Sivaganga Road near Madurai is on Vengai and other bulls too. (PTI)
Elsewhere, in another village, G Keerthana, a transperson is busy attending to 'Rudra,' her choice bull. In fact, several bulls are named 'Rudra' or 'Rudran' by people. The 33-year old transwoman says her bulls have earlier won prizes in Jallikattu contests. (PTI)
A tradition with a history of over 2,000 years, Jallikattu is a competitive sport as well as an event to honour bull owners who rear them for mating. It is a violent sport in which contestants try to tame a bull for a prize; if they fail, the bull owner wins the prize. (PTI)
Jallikattu first came under legal scrutiny in 2007 when the Animal Welfare Board of India and the animal rights group PETA moved petitions in the Supreme Court against Jallikattu as well as bullock cart races. (PTI)
The Tamil Nadu government, however, worked its way out of the ban by passing a law in 2009, which was signed by the Governor. (PTI)