The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : This is one of the places where fun and frolic have an unfettered run

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Tamil Nadu

This is one of the places where fun and frolic have an unfettered run

Deepa H. Ramakrishnan

Kuilpalayam is witness again to locals moving about in shiny clothes, utsav idols’ rally, decked-up cattle running ...

. — Photos: T. Singaravelou

FEst at its best: The cattle run in Auroville on Thursday. (Right) Foreign visitors look on as traditional drummers perform at the cattle run

PUDUCHERRY: It’s the same old thing every year. Thursday’s ‘Karinaal’ at Kuilapalayam is no different from what we saw last year or the year before that.

The sights of the locals dressed in the Pongal clothes, the utsava idols of Goddess Mariamman and Lord Krishna, the decked-up cattle run at the sound of crackers, the shops … are no doubt the same but as someone put it, it’s nice to see so much of positive energy at one place.

Designer Vimal Bhojraj, who has been coming to the festival for the past few years, said he came just for fun. “Though the event is known for the cattle run, I come to see the people, especially the gypsies, who sell their wares at the impromptu market that comes up for just this one day. I don’t get to see such crowds every day and it’s nice to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves.”

Procession

At about 11 a.m., the utsava idols of Veerabadrar, Muthu Mariamman and Krishna were brought in procession with the ‘naatamakaar’ — Subramaniam, Subbaiah Padayachi, Venkatesan, Ezhumalai, Ramalingam — leading the idols to the Ellaipidari Amman Temple where the cattle run was arranged. Meanwhile, people started throwing bananas that were tied to the horns of the cattle to the people in the crowd.

After the pooja, came the moment all had been waiting for. Decked-up cattle, even calves, ran at the sound of crackers. The owners of the cattle ran as far as they could.

“We do run along with the cattle but after a short distance it’s difficult to control them and they run away. But by evening they return home,” said Murugan, a youngster, who came along with his father. Every bull, cow and calf in the village is made to run in this annual event.

“Earlier we used to have hundreds of cattle running but now with the decreasing number of farmers and most farmers preferring tractors, the excitement is not quite like before,” said Krishnan, a cattle owner.

The story goes that King Vikramaditya, after whom the local temple tank is named, started the annual festival, which is a ‘Podhu Utsavam,’ meaning everyone in the village contributed to the conduct of the fest.

Event

The event once used to be held on the evening of the Maatu Pongal day.

But with fear of wild animals of the nearby forests devouring the cattle, the event was moved to Kanum Pongal day. “The festival has been conducted for ages now and our elders recall that we too had a jallikattu here. But over the centuries it has been downgraded to this “maadu virattu.”

“People used to tie money on the horns of cattle earlier but we don’t allow all that now.

“What is permitted is decking up the cattle with bananas, pictures of film stars, balloons, colourful streamers and colour powder,” explains Subramaniam. After the run, many people were seen rushing around on bullock carts through the crowds.

People in large numbers from many villages, Puducherry and Auroville came to witness the event and have a thoroughly enjoyable time.

With at least over 100 persons taking pictures and filming the cattle run on Karinaal, this would perhaps be a very well documented event.

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