The sleepy little village of Anambotlavaripalem near Parchur in Prakasam district wakes up every morning to the sight of majestic Ongole bulls running with heavy boulders yoked to their necks, with several trainers struggling to keep pace.

Winning breed

Each boulder weighs around 1 to 2.5 tonnes, which are lugged around effortlessly by the bulls as they practice for a boulder-pulling competition that is organised every year on Sankranti. Such competitions are held across Prakasam district and elsewhere in order to rekindle interest in the bull rearing. Taking a break from the hectic training sessions, a senior bull trainer named Srinivas tells The Hindu how they ensure a rigorous mating process to ensure that the quality of the Ongole breed is kept undiluted.

“The calves are trained from a young age to participate in sub-junior, junior and senior categories of boulder-pulling competitions during festivals including the harvest festival,” Srinivas said, adding that they are fed a healthy diet of horse gram, finger millets, dried coconuts and palm dates.

While the breed is facing a decline in the country, with farmers opting to use tractors for cultivation in order to cut costs, the breed has found a strong fascination among cattle-rearers in Brazil.

Bull-rearing for racing events is still a lucrative trade in Prakasam district, where the bulls continue to flourish in several areas along the Gundlakamma and Musi rivers.

“'I spend close to ₹4 crore annually to maintain a cattle farm with three pairs of superior bulls which take part in competitions held during Sankranti and other festivals in Prakasam district,” said a breeder K. Muralikrishna while overseeing the training sessions for the bull-racing event to be held in Kothapatnam village on Sankranti day.

“We spend more money on the bulls than we do on our children,” said another proud bull trainer Kalyankrishna, adding that a well-trained pair of Ongole bulls fetches up to ₹5 lakh in these parts.

In safe hands

The specially-bred bovines are housed in well-ventilated cowsheds and are protected from extreme temperatures. “We even use water coolers during summer to maintain an ideal temperature for the bulls,” said G. Sai Babu, a farmer who organises contests to rekindle interest in the bulls.