Maramadi, ox race or Bull Surfing in Kerala, India
Maramadi: ox race or Bull Surfing in Kerala, India Summer festivals started in Kerala state of India. This special event is usually celebrated post harvest season, for the entertainment of the farmers and the villagers. This is a peculiar bull race is called Maramadi in local language Malayalam. The winner will be judged by the time they finish. The Bull runners are professionally trained. These bulls are very expensive. A pair of oxen is usually managed by three persons. These bulls are sent charging down the football field-sized rice paddy field soaked in ankle deep water, while their guides hang onto the tail or onto a harness and slide through the mud. The fields are freshly ploughed and the muddy water splash about as the bulls are raced by their guides. The villagers gather around these fields keeping safe distance. The air is rent with excitement fervor as there is stiff competition over these races. It is a diminishing sport now, owing to the industrialization of the country. Northern side of the Kerala state is much renowned for this special sport. It will be hosted, till the monsoon comes, in various places.
Size: 3888px × 2592px
Location: Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Photo credit: © John Bennet / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: bull, bulls, competition, expensive, festival, field, india, kerala, maramadi, mud, muddy, ox, oxen, paddy, pair, peculiar, plough, ploughed, race, rice, runners, summer, surfing, villagers
