Thousands of villagers gathered at Herovanga village in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district on Aug 10 to watch jockeys and their bulls race through waterlogged paddy fields during the traditional Moichara festival.
The century-old cattle-racing festival combines rural entertainment with an important agricultural tradition, helping farmers prepare muddy fields for paddy cultivation during the monsoon season.
For the spectacular race, barefoot jockeys balance on wooden planks behind pairs of bulls and hold onto the animals’ tails as they charge along a roughly 100m track through thick mud and water.
Bull owners spend months preparing their animals for the event, with selected cattle receiving special training and care ahead of the two-day festival.
Besides providing a thrilling spectacle, the pounding hooves and dragging wooden planks help churn and till the waterlogged soil ahead of cultivation.
The annual celebration draws farmers and spectators from different communities, turning an age-old agricultural practice into one of the region’s most colourful rural traditions.
