Nirajan Paudel
1 Jan 2018
Most of us are informed about bullfighting in European
countries. The events in Spain, France, Portugal and other countries draw
attention of thousands globally.
But, it may
come as a surprise that bullfighting is an old tradition in Nuwakot.
Bullfighting is held annually on the first day of the month of Magh in the
Nepali calendar and hundreds of spectators gather to watch the bulls lock horns.
On
the day of Maghe Sankranti (Nepali Festival), a religious festival during which
Nepali Hindus savor the delicacies as Chaku (sweet made of molasses), Ghee and
Yam, the district witnessed an extra sporting event of a clash between bulls.
Thousands thronged the venue at Taruka and Betrawoti of Nuwakot to witness a
bull fight on the day of Maghesankranti. A horde of 16 bulls was put to fight
at the ground in Chandani of Taruka-5.
The competition between three out of 16 bulls ended in a draw
while two oxen did not fight despite being sent
into the field. In the festival, Shyam Shrestha, Padamkanta Lamichane,
Bishnuman Shrestha, Dinesh Dalarmi, Gyanbahadur Tamang, Hari Shrestha, Motiram
Dhakal, Umesh Adhikari, Deepak BK, Prakash Regmi among others won with their
respective bulls.
Each
of the victorious oxen was awarded a cash prize of Rs 2,000 while the loser was
given Rs 1,500 for participation, said Gyanbahadur Bakharel, Chairman of the
Festival Management Committee.
Legend has it that, King Rana Bahadur Shah (1834-1855) had a
fetish for breeding bulls and holding bull fights. He had even appointed a
Baidhya, an herbal doctor to look after the horde of oxen at the palace. A
royal poet Radhaballav Arjyal had even scribbled a poem on bulls – 'Sadhyako
Kabita'. The bull fight was managed and held in a single venue only after 2009
AD Likewise, one of Nepal's historical places – Betrawoti also witnessed fight
between eight oxen. The ox fight started in Betrawoti six years ago on the day
of Maghe Sankranti.
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