Andhiyur horse & cattle shandy begins; rare breeds on display

Erode: The three-day Andhiyur horse and cattle shandy began here on Wednesday featuring different varieties of horses, sheep, goats and cows. The event, which coincides with the Gurunathan Swamy Temple festival, saw 40,000 visitors on the first day.
Horses were up for sales and the price ranged from Rs 20,000 to Rs 10 lakh. Buyers, meanwhile, did their best to bargain with the sellers to seal an attractive deal. “There is no new breed in the shandy. What’s on offer are regular varieties such as Kathiawari, Nokhra, Kathuria and Marwar,” M Ashok Kumar, a frequent visitor to the shandy from Coimbatore, told TOI. His plan was to the Marwar breed, which is known for loyalty, hardiness and speed.
There was a section of people, who brought their horses for rides. They set up stage for horse performances, which enthralled the audience.
Similarly, cow breeds such as Semmarai, Kalikar, Amrith, Alambadi, Tanjavur, Umbachari and Kangeyam were on display at the shandy. However, it was costly breeds like Ongole that stole the show. Different varieties of goat and sheep such as boer goats and Jamnapari were also both on display and up for sale.
Meanwhile, Gurunathan Swamy Temple authorities performed the car festival, which was attended by several hundreds of devotees.
The Coimbatore division of Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation has arranged special buses to Andhiyur from Erode bus stand.