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MAADDU VANDI SAVAARI OF EELAM TRADITION

The tradition of Mattu Vandi Savari is very popular in and around Eelam with grand races taking place, where winners take away mega prizes. There are some folks who are critical about bull racing calling it a violation of animal rights.

In the Eelam, these bulls are called Vaddakan Maadu a robust breed of bulls with sturdy horns. They come in shades of dapple grey, brown and white.

The Mattu Vandi Savari takes place mostly on Sundays. Take the bulls and carts by lorry to the race locations. The Mattu Vandi Savari youth with some seniors have now formed a racing committee (Sangam) which has rules for the bulls and riders. The wooden carts must always have a pair of bulls. The racing divisions are A-B-C-D. In the D section, boys race the young bulls for fun on a short track. In the A section are the real star class bulls that can run up to 40 Km per hour. Each bull is valued between 1–2 million. The A class division race is the crowd puller, with locals and curious foreigners joining the excitement. In the old days, winning the race was an honour and the winner would be admired by the village girls. Today the prizes range from a gold coin to bicycles, etc.