Festival Extended by Popular Demand – Tamil Thembu Celebrations to Continue Until Tomorrow.

Coimbatore: As part of the ongoing Tamil Thembu Festival at Isha, the traditional Rekla (bullock cart) race was held today (09/03/25) with great enthusiasm. The event, conducted near Alandurai, witnessed the presence of Thiru Tondamuthur Ravi, Coimbatore North District DMK Secretary, as the special guest, who distributed prizes to the winners.

The Tamil Thembu, a grand celebration of Tamil heritage, commenced on 27 February and has been running for the past 11 days in front of Adiyogi. As part of this festival, the Rekla race was organised today at Nathegoundanpudur village near Alandurai, drawing over 100 participants from Coimbatore, Tiruppur, and other Kongu regions, who brought their prized bullock carts and racing bulls.

The race was conducted in two categories – 200 meters and 300 meters. The winners in both categories were awarded ₹1,00,000 in cash, while the second-place winners received ₹50,000, the third-place winners ₹20,000, and the fourth-place winners ₹14,000. Additionally, competitors ranking 5th to 15th received ₹3,000 each, while those placing 16th to 30th were given ₹2,000 each. All participants were also awarded medals.

Since 7 March, a grand cattle and horse market has been taking place in front of Adiyogi, featuring over 10 indigenous cattle breeds, including Kangayam, Punganur, Tharparkar, Gir, Sahiwal, and Bargur. Special attention was drawn to Rekla racing bulls, Jallikattu young bulls, and high-yielding indigenous dairy cows. Similarly, Marwari and native horses were also brought for sale.
Over the past three days, Isha has arranged fodder, water, and shaded enclosures for the livestock. Additionally, accommodation and food were provided for visitors attending the market, which concludes today.

The Tamil Thembu Festival also featured exhibitions of Tamil Nadu’s Geographical Indication (GI)-tagged products, traditional art workshops, evening folk performances, and heritage food stalls, attracting thousands of visitors daily.
Originally scheduled from 27 February to 9 March, the festival has now been extended by one more day due to overwhelming public response and will continue tomorrow.