Tamil Nadu: Stalin inaugurates jallikattu stadium built at ₹63 cr
Touted to be the first of its kind, the three-tiered stadium is spread across 65 acres. Built at a cost of ₹63 crore, it has a seating capacity of 5,000
Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Wednesday inaugurated a jallikattu stadium in Madurai where the sport is most famous.
Touted to be the first of its kind, the three-tiered stadium is spread across 65 acres. Built at a cost of ₹63 crore, it has a seating capacity of 5,000. The stadium also has an air-conditioned space that can seat 50 people. A veterinary dispensary and an emergency centre have been set up for treatment of injured bulls and tamers. Ten emergency vehicles will be stationed outside the stadium during the competitions.
“This is the first such stadium for jallikattu in the world,” Stalin said at the event.
Stalin named the stadium at Keelakarai village after his father and five time chief minister Late M Karunanidhi as the Kalaignar Centenary Eru Thazuvuthal Arangam and unveiled his statue.
In classic Sangam literature, Eru Thazuvuthal means embracing the bull. Flagging off the first match on Wednesday, Stalin said, the stadium has come up where the Sangam literature once flourished.
“For the sport steeped in Tamil culture, Eru Thazuvuthal, the DMK government has built this glorious stadium,” Stalin said. “I’m proud that history will have a space to say that Stalin built this for centuries old-Eru Thazhuvuthal,” he added.
The construction of the stadium was announced in 2022 in the state assembly.
The controversial sport is conducted during the four-day harvest festival of Pongal every year. This year, jallikattu was held at more than 100 locations across the state, for which over 66,000 bulls were reared. The events were attended by more than 3 lakh people across the state.
Jallikattu was temporarily banned in Tamil Nadu from 2014 to 2016 following a Supreme Court order. Following massive protests against the ban in 2017, the state enacted the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017 and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Conduct of Jallikattu) Rules of 2017 to override the ban. Expelled AIADMK leader, O Panneerselvam, had brought the ordinance when he was the chief minister in 2017.
In May last year, the Supreme Court affirmed Tamil Nadu’s state law allowing jallikattu. Both the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK took credit for the verdict. While DMK said, their legal team ensured that the ordinance was approved, the AIADMK led by Edappadi Palaniswami said, it was their victory since they brought in the state legislation. Meanwhile, Panneerselvam thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi whom he had met in Delhi at that time and discussed the matter.
