Eru thazhuvuthal or bull-sport is one of the popular sport of Tamil Nadu, identified with Tamil culture. The sport is associated with harvest festival ‘Pongal’ that falls in the month of January and conducted on its fourth day. At present it is annually conducted as mega events in some of the southern regions of Tamil Nadu especially in Pudukkottai, Sivaganga and Madurai districts. Participation of matadors and bulls from various parts of Tamil Nadu are seen.
Bull sport can be taken as one of the early sport of Tamils and performed to demonstrate gallantry, power and pride, hence deep rooted in Tamil culture. Ancient Tamil literatures Kalithogai, Pattinapalai, Malaipadukadam, Silapathigaram, beautifully picture the sport. It is mentioned as eru thazhuvuthal, erukol, polleruthu pidithal, in course of time it came to be called as manjuvirattu, jallikattu.
In Kalithogai, Mullai Kali vividly speak about the sport; preparation for the sport, categories of bulls and its colour, bull entering the arena like kootruvan, herders eager to demonstrate their gallantry for their girls, girls observing the sport sitting on the attic, girls choosing their life partner among the one who ably tamed the bull, other spectators conversing over the event all lively pictured by the author. It is also pictured that the sport field seems like a battle field, the tamers with thighs torn, intestines pulled out, one hung on the bull like a garland, the grave scene as seen in the battle field of mahabaratha. Kuravaikoothu will be performed for the success of the bullfighters either before the sport or after the sport says Malaipadukadam and Kalithogai.
Temples are visual source of our past society and corroborates the information in the literature. It is so interesting to see eru thazhuvuthal depicted as sculpture in some of the temples, reveals its legacy in the medieval period. In Iyyarappar temple complex of Thiruvaiyaru, at Ologamadevi Iswaram shrine the bull sport is depicted as miniatures in two of the makara thoranas; one is seen on the southern side of the maha mandapa while the other on the northern side koshtha of the vimana.
In both the miniatures the tamers are seen mounting on the bull with their left leg planted on the back of the bull in upright posture and the left hand near the hump to support the mounting, whereas their right hand is around the neck. In both the miniatures the tamers are tightly holding around the neck of the bull that straightened the head with snout facing up. This shows the subjugation of the bull. It is quite interesting to see the sculptor captured two different stages of subjugation. The bull on the vimana koshtha is completely downed and seated on the floor, whereas in the miniature of the maha mandapa, the tamer is mounted on the bull, but the bull is still in moving pace with its front left limb lifted up and the right limb placed ahead, while the hind limbs slightly down but in moving pace with its tail shoot-up.
At Thudaiyur Vishamangaleswara temple, the bull sport is depicted as a miniature on the western side of the vimana in one of its gala pada. In this miniature the bull tamer is seen mounted on the bull with his left leg placed upright on its back, the left hand is holding its hump, and the right hand is around the neck holding the dewlap. The bull is seen standing with its hind limbs stretched back and its fore limbs stretched forward and its head straightened up as subdued. It shows, the bull is totally subdued and brought to inertness.
Another interesting miniature is seen on the square section of a pillar in a mandapa in the Azhwarthirunagari temple at Thoothukudi. Here a different posture is captured by the sculptor, instead of mounting the bull from the behind, here the tamer is mounting from the front, his left leg is dangling in the front side and his right leg is placed upright on the bull, as usual the left hand is placed firm on the bull and his right hand is around the neck. Subjugation of the bull by straightening its head is also done differently, the neck of the bull is twisted in 1800, the swirl of dewlap is also beautifully shown by the sculptor. As like the maha mandapa miniature of Ologamadevi Iswaram, the bull is still in moving pace with its forelimbs lifted up and the hind limbs slightly down.
Except the tamer of Azhwarthirunagari, the rest of the tamers are not much clear in attire and ornaments. For all, their locks are gathered and knotted in the apex, patrakundals seen in the ears, other ornaments and attire are not clear. The tamer of Azhwarthirunagari is decked with patrakundalas, short attire and ornament around neck.
These four miniatures show various stages of bull sport beautifully captured by the sculptors. Three of the reliefs show the tamer mounting the bull from the behind whereas in one of the miniature the tamer mounted from the front. It cannot be taken as a casual play, the tightening and holding of the neck by the tamer with its head straightened up clearly shows the scene as bull taming. All the tamers are in broad smile reflecting their pride over their gallantry.
HERO STONE FOR BULL FIGHTER – GOVERNMENT MUSEUM SALEM 
ADAMANGALAM PUDUR – THIRUVANNAMALAI