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).
