On Monday, it was time for locals and foreigners to come together in the village of Kuilaypalayam near Auroville to celebrate manju Virattu, an ancient Tamil tradition involving an entertaining cattle run.
This year, a large number of visitors from abroad gathered at a local temple here to get the taste of the tradition. Manju virattu is an ancient Tamil tradition and has been held for the last 60 years at the end of the three-day Pongal festivities in the village.
Unlike jallikattu, the event does not involve the taming of the cattle. The event is hugely popular among foreign tourists visiting Auroville.
The event commenced after pujas were performed at the local Mariamman temple. The deity was brought in a procession near the temple, where cattle, including bulls, cows and calves from surrounding villages decked up with balloons, bananas and posters of actors were lined up for the race.
The bulls were let loose and made to run through the streets in the village. People including foreigners converged on both sides and cheered the bulls and clicked photographs.
“Manja Virattu is one of the aspects of the Tamil tradition that has been kept alive. The idea behind the event is also that visitors become aware of our culture and living traditions. While in other places, culture has been confined to museums, it still remains in our life here,” Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, a yoga expert told The Hindu .
In Tamil Nadu, there is an element of nature worship and nature is respected as a god. The most important aspect is that we live in tune with nature, he said. For Frita, a tourist from Germany, the event was full of fun and energy with the cows beautifully decorated.
“This event is something special and cows are treated nicely here. This is very different from the event in Spain where the bulls are bled to death,” she added.
