Celebrations in Southern India, be it events like jallikattu or religious festivals, are marked by an inclusivity that is ubiquitous and has passed down through the ages.
Sporting events like bull-taming are not just organised for temple festivals but also by churches. Jesuit scholar and Harvard professor Fr. Francis X. Clooney, S.J. in one of his lectures has pointed out that early Jesuit missionaries in India engaged with Hinduism through scholarship, translation, and cultural immersion. This syncretic blend of Hinduism and Christianity is evident in regions around Pudukottai, Dindigul and Sivaganga districts where the presence of Jesuits was perceptibly more.
Till date, the manjuvirattu organised by the St. Anthony’s Church at Kandupatti in Sivaganga district as part of the Pongal festival draws a large number of bulls and tamers from various districts. Similarly in Dindigul district, the jallikattu held at Kosavapatti village for the Uthiriya Madha Church festival is a crowd-puller. During this period, people from all religions go to the church and offer prayers.
Likewise, the influence of Sufism has led to a blending of Islamic mysticism with local Hindu traditions. The best example can be found in Madurai’s Sekkipatti, where ‘Odungakudiyar Dargah temple bull’ enters the vadivasal of various jallikattu events.
