TRINCOMALEE: A grand Pongal festival was organised in Sri Lanka's Trincomalee city on Monday. Around 1500 performers took part in the festivities and delivered an enthralling cultural dance performance.
The celebration is being done under the leadership of Sri Lankan Eastern Province Governor Senthil Thondaman.
Earlier on January 6, Sri Lanka hosted its first Jallikattu in Triconmalee with the country's Eastern Province Governor Senthil Thondaman and Malaysia's member of parliament Saravanan Murugan flagging off the event.
Thonadaman who hails from Tamil Nadu's Sivagangai district and in charge of organising the event said that Pongal is one of the popular festivals celebrated by the Tamil community worldwide. A week-long Pongal festival has been planned with the community set to hold the Jallikattu and Rekla race today, he said.
Thonadaman and Malaysia's member of parliament Saravanan Murugan flagged off the Jallikattu event at the ground in the Sampur area of Trincomalee.
More than 200 bulls and more than 100 bull tamers will participate in the Jallikattu competition.
Jallikattu is a popular bull-embracing sport traditionally played in Tamil Nadu during the Pongal harvest festival in the second week of January.