Down To Earth speaks to the head of the environment wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam about the Pulikulam cattle breed of Tamil Nadu
Photo: iStock
Pongal was once again celebrated with fervor by the people of Tamil Nadu from January 15-18, 2024. The highlight was, of course, the sport of Jallikattu.
The sport has been in the throes of a controversy in the past decade. But with the governments at the Centre and Tamil Nadu recognising it alongwith the Supreme Court, the scenes of bulls being baited by young men in Tamil Nadu, especially the Madurai region, are again commonplace.
Down To Earth (DTE) spoke to Karthikeya Sivasenapathy, the managing trustee of Senaapathy Kangayam Cattle Research Foundation at Kuttapalayam, 80 kilometres from Coimbatore.
Sivasenapathy is also the head of the environment wing of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. DTE spoke to him about the famous Pulikulam breed, which is mainly used in Jallikattu events. Edited excerpts:
Rajat Ghai (RG): What is the background of the Pulikulam breed?
Karthikeya Sivasenapathy (KS): The domestication of cattle took place 7,000-8,000 years ago in a few places worldwide. One of them was the Indus Valley of South Asia.
The works of scholars like (late) Iravatham Mahadevan as well as R Balakrishnan and others in addition to the Indus seals show that Jallikattu or Eru Thazhuvuthal is at least 4,500 years ago.
India has three kinds of cattle. There are milch animals in northern India. Middle India has dual purpose animals while southern India has the Mysuru-type animal, mostly used for draught purposes.
Maharashtra has the Killari, Karnataka has the Amrit Mahal and the Hallikar. The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University terms the Kangayam as the ‘forerunner of all breeds’ in the state including Pulikulam, Umbalachery, Bargur and Alambadi.
R Balakrishnan too has observed that the horn and hump development of the Kangayam closely resembles the cattle depicted in Indus art.
The Kangayam was the first indigenous cattle breed from Tamil Nadu to be given recognition by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR), part of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. It was followed by Bargur, Umbalachery, Alambadi and finally, Pulikulam.
Pulikulam is a small village in the district of Sivaganga near Madurai, close to Keezhadi, an important archaeological site in the state.
Tolkappiyam, the oldest extant text of Tamil literature dating back to 3,000 years, divides the landscape of the ancient Tamil country into five types, each of which has a deity protecting it: Mountains, forests, seashore, cropland and dry land.
The Sangam Era, which followed Tolkappiyam, was the Golden Age of the ancient Tamils. This was because it was a casteless, classless society. More than 60 poets of the Sangam Period were women. This speaks about the literacy that was available to all.
A Pulikulam Bull. Photo: KS Sivasenapathy
Sangam Era literature waxes eloquent about the bull baiting sport. It goes on to say that a woman could refuse a man if he was afraid of the horns of a bull. That was the kind of connect to livestock during the Sangam Period and there is a continuity even today.
The NBAGR in Karnal recognised the Pulikulam breed a few years ago. There is also a Tamil Nadu Pulikulam Breeding Research Station near Madurai where quality calves are given to farmers and livestock owners.
Pulikulam is extensively used in Jallikattu events, followed by Umbalachery and Kangayam.
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RG: There is a legend that says that Pulikulam village had a pond where tigers from the surrounding jungle used to drink. Pulikulam’s bulls could fight off tigers, it is said. How true is this legend?
KS: Legends are as old as humanity. But it is a fact that cattle can defend themselves in herds against large carnivores like the tiger and the leopard.
Let me give you an example. Bargur is located in the Anthiyur Hills of Erode district. It is where the Western and Eastern Ghats meet. It is home to the Lingayats and the Sholagas. The Lingayats herd a particular breed of cattle known as ‘Bargur Hill Cattle’
People here still follow the ancient system of transhumance. They stay in the forests for 6-8 months. At nightfall, the herdsmen usually herd the 200-300 cattle into a kraal or laager-like formation and sleep in the middle. Hence, if a tiger or leopard attacks, the wall of cattle horns and bodies acts as a shield. The cattle are also known to chase such predators away due to their alertness.
So the aforementioned legend could have been connected to such a type of lifestyle.
RG: How has the Jallikattu controversy impacted the Pulikulam breed?
KS: Indeed, at the height of the controversy regarding Jallikattu, many prized Pulikulam bulls were sold for slaughter and several people were deeply disillusioned. However, given the strident protest by the Tamil community in India and abroad, the Government of Tamil Nadu lifted the ban on the sport through a legislation which was signed by the President of India. Later the Supreme Court also agreed with the stand of the Tamil Nadu government on Jallikattu. Subsequently, there has been a rising interest in indigenous breeds like the Pulikulam. I am very positive that the population is on the rise.
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