The Mattu Pongal festival at Isha celebrates traditional Tamil culture, featuring native cow breeds exhibition, attracting over three lakh visitors.
Coimbatore: The time-honored Mattu Pongal festival was celebrated with great enthusiasm in front of Adiyogi on January 16. This traditional Tamil festival, observed for centuries, saw a footfall of over three lakh people at Isha in the last two days.
Highlighting the festival, a unique exhibition of 23 different native cow breeds bred at Isha was organized. This exhibition aimed to increase awareness about endangered native breeds.
Featured breeds included Gangeyam, Kangrij, Ongole, Gir, Tharparkar, Vechur, Mountain cow, and Thondai cow. Each breed's origin and characteristics were detailed to the audience on stage.
Before the cow exhibition, tribal communities, local farmers, and Isha volunteers gathered to celebrate Pongal traditionally. They cooked in over 50 earthen pots, drawing participation from locals and international visitors. Post-cooking, offerings of pongal, sugarcane, and grains were made to local cows.
The evening was filled with traditional Tamil games, Mallakhamba performances, and art presentations by Isha Home School students, adding to the festive ambiance. The day saw visitors enjoying various activities, including dancing and hand-feeding local cows. The sports competitions also saw active family participation.
Highlighting the festival, a unique exhibition of 23 different native cow breeds bred at Isha was organized. This exhibition aimed to increase awareness about endangered native breeds.
Featured breeds included Gangeyam, Kangrij, Ongole, Gir, Tharparkar, Vechur, Mountain cow, and Thondai cow. Each breed's origin and characteristics were detailed to the audience on stage.
Before the cow exhibition, tribal communities, local farmers, and Isha volunteers gathered to celebrate Pongal traditionally. They cooked in over 50 earthen pots, drawing participation from locals and international visitors. Post-cooking, offerings of pongal, sugarcane, and grains were made to local cows.
The evening was filled with traditional Tamil games, Mallakhamba performances, and art presentations by Isha Home School students, adding to the festive ambiance. The day saw visitors enjoying various activities, including dancing and hand-feeding local cows. The sports competitions also saw active family participation.