Cockfighting (Seval Sandai in Tamil, Kodi Pandem in Telugu) in India primarily takes place in January, coinciding with Makara Sankranti. The practice is widespread in coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, including Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts, despite being illegal in India. [1] [2]
Fights between birds such as junglefowls and roosters are said to have been arranged in ancient India as a mode of entertainment. [3] It is recorded that the outcome of the Battle of Palnadu (1178–1182) was decided by a rooster fight, following which cockfighting gained foothold in Andhra Pradesh. [4]
In the present day, cockfighting takes place in Andhra Pradesh and other parts of India such as Telangana, Karnataka, and Odisha. [3]
Roosters are specially bred for cockfights, with knives and blades tied to their legs. The fight typically results in the death of one of the birds. [5] Roosters are trained for fights year-round and are worth as much as ₹ 50,000 (US$590). Events which can last as long as three days are organized during Sankranti, with each event drawing thousands of people. [1] In a 2019 investigation, The Washington Post called the practice the "Super Bowl of cockfighting". [6]
Cockfighting is an ancient spectator sport. There is evidence that cockfighting was a pastime in the Indus Valley civilization. [7] The Encyclopædia Britannica (2008) holds: [8]
The sport was popular in ancient times in India, China, Persia, and other Eastern countries and was introduced into Ancient Greece in the time of Themistocles (c. 524–460 BC). For a long time the Romans affected to despise this "Greek diversion", but they ended up adopting it so enthusiastically that the agricultural writer Columella (1st century AD) complained that its devotees often spent their whole patrimony in betting at the side of the pit.
Based on his analysis of a Mohenjo-daro seal, Iravatham Mahadevan speculates that the city's ancient name could have been Kukkutarma ("the city [-rma] of the cockerel [kukkuta]"). [9] [10] However, according to a recent study, [11] "it is not known whether these birds made much contribution to the modern domestic fowl. Chickens from the Harappan culture of the Indus Valley (2500–2100 BC) may have been the main source of diffusion throughout the world." "Within the Indus Valley, indications are that chickens were used for sport and not for food" (Zeuner 1963) [12] and that by 1000 BC they had assumed "religious significance". [12]
Kukkuta Satra (transl. Cock Science) is a shastra dealing with cockfighting. [13] There is no information about the author or when the book is written. [13]
Kukkuta Sastra recognises 50 types of cocks suitable for cockfighting. It prescribes the diet for the cocks raised for cockfighting, including but not limited to almond, cashew, pistachio, and meat. Kukkuta Sastra is diligently followed when cocks are raised for cockfighting in India. [14] [15]
Cockfighting has been illegal in India since the enactment of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act in 1960. Subsequent judgements by the Supreme Court of India in 2015, [16] [17] and the Hyderabad High Court in 2016, upheld the ban. [18] In January 2018, the Supreme Court allowed the sport to be held in a traditional way, without the use of knives and blades and without gambling or betting. [19]
Despite the ban, [2] cockfighting is still popular in Andhra Pradesh, with an estimated amount over ₹900 crore (US$110 million) being wagered in the state during a three-day period in 2019. [20] More than 200,000 roosters have been used in cockfights in the state. [20]
Andhra Pradesh is a state on the east coast of southern India. It is the seventh-largest state and the tenth-most populous in the country. Telugu, one of India's classical languages, is the primary official language and the most widely spoken language in state and as well as in South India. Amaravati is the state capital, while the largest city is Visakhapatnam. The state shares borders with Odisha to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the north, Karnataka to the southwest, Tamil Nadu to the south, Telangana to northwest and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the second-longest coastline in India at about 974 kilometres (605 mi).
The chicken is a large and round short-winged bird, domesticated from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food, providing meat and eggs; others are kept as pets or for cockfighting.
Telugu is a classical Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family, and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of the languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the 14th most spoken native language in the world. Modern Standard Telugu is based on the dialect of erstwhile Krishna, Guntur, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of Coastal Andhra.
Cockfighting is a blood sport involving domesticated roosters as the combatants. The first documented use of the word gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or entertainment, was recorded in 1634, after the term "cock of the game" used by George Wilson, in the earliest known book on the sport of cockfighting in The Commendation of Cocks and Cock Fighting in 1607. But it was during Magellan's voyage of discovery of the Philippines in 1521 when modern cockfighting was first witnessed and documented for Westerners by the Italian Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan's chronicler, in the Kingdom of Taytay.
The Telugu Desam Party is an Indian regional political party primarily active in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by Telugu matinée idol N. T. Rama Rao (NTR) on 29 March 1982 and has focused on supporting Telugu people. The party has won a five-time majority in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and has emerged as the most successful political outfit in the state's history. It is currently the ruling party in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
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Telugu people, also called Āndhras, are an ethno-linguistic group who speak the Telugu language and are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam district of Puducherry. They are the most populous of the four major Dravidian linguistic groups. Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India and the 14th most spoken native language in the world. A significant number of Telugus also reside in the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra. Members of the Telugu diaspora are spread across countries like United States, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, UAE and others. Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States. It is also a protected language in South Africa.
Munnuru Kapu is a Telugu-speaking caste primarily found in the Indian state of Telangana. Traditionally, they are a community of cultivators and are distributed across Telangana. They are also present in Nanded and Latur districts of Maharashtra. Munnuru Kapus are distinct from the Kapu caste of Coastal Andhra.
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