Bull Cart Race Event

Bullock cart racing starts from November and lasts till May. It is a cultural activity and popular amongst farming  community in Alibag Taluka in Maharashtra . Local Bullock art owners and farmers arrange this race mostly in their villages. Bullock cart owners pay obeisance to   Shri Nageshwar during Vaikunth Chaturdashi Yatra at Awas. The Maharashtrian version of bullock cart racing was known as Bailgada Sharyat, a 450-year-old tradition of the farmers of Konkan, western Maharashtra and Marathwada. Four incredibly fast bulls pull the cart for a distance of 350-450 feet on the racing track, and the team with the highest speed is considered winner. Each team dashes across the tracks one at a time and most of the finish the race in around 10-15 seconds. It requires  a strong grip, excellent balance, and astonishing bravery to hold on to the carts as the bulls rushed towards the finish line. Clouds of dust and loud cheers fill the environment with pulsating energy. The organising  of these races is  not a small task either. The racing track or Ghat has to be carefully prepared, days in advance. Veterinarians are brought in to inspect the bulls, so as to ensure that the animals are  in prime physical conditions. These cattle races formed an integral part of the Jatras or village fairs that were held between Makar Sankranti and the Monsoon months, a time when the farmers were not busy in the fields. Sometimes, the races are  organised as solo events instead of being a part of a village fair. The money that is  raised by the races is  utilized for the betterment of the village and for the renovation of the local temples. In this manner, cattle racing in India is  an adventure sport that also helped to raise funds for social causes.