Nepal is full of wonders, and this country never stops to surprise its visitors. Once you visit Nepal, you can’t be disappointed; there are surprises beyond your imagination. So, it will be best if you keep a few days extra in your schedule while visiting Nepal.

You can visit Nepal with your family or friends or by yourself for spending holidays as there are several activities you can do. Tourists love coming to Nepal for trekking, mountain climbing or any other adventures like paragliding, bungee jumping, and skydiving. Nepal will be a perfect place for the exploration of ancient heritage and monuments. There are several monuments which have been listed in the world heritage sites. Also, you are into learning about the custom, culture, and tradition of different religious and ethnic groups, then Nepal still won’t disappoint you. Home to 36 different ethnic groups, Nepal has varied culture, tradition, lifestyle, language, and dress (ethnic groups has their traditional dress).

Another amazing thing about Nepal is the festivals. There are more than 55 different festivals celebrated in Nepal. Some of them last just for a day, while some are 10-day festivals; some are dedicated to our family, while some are dedicated to animals like a dog; some celebrate the victory of good over evil, while some celebrate friendship and relation. In the long list of such festival, bullfighting is one interesting and recent festival which has been gaining a lot of popularity.

About Bullfighting in Nepal

Bullfighting takes place in the Nuwakot district of Nepal. It is speculated that the festival was started by a local king named Raja Jayprithvi Bahadur Singh in the 19th century. It is said that when the king visited his maternal uncle’s home in Nuwakot as a child, the people organized the bullfighting festival for the first time to entertain him. Later, people held the event as a tradition. Although the village has been organizing the festival since then, it came in the light in a recent year.

The rise to popularity of the festival started in 2006. Before the year 2006, this exciting festival of bullfighting used to take place in several locations of Taruka village. However, the villagers of Taruka agreed upon celebrating the festival as one main event in one venue because of the few adverse impacts and some possibilities that could emerge Taruka as a unique travel destination. And, guess what? It worked. So, since 2006 the event is becoming larger every year and more popular as well.

Where and when does the event take place?

As mentioned above the festival takes place in the Nuwakot district, a village named Taruka. Taruka is an underprivileged village mainly popular for its vegetable production and the annual bullfight itself. From Nuwakot it will take around three hours of a bus ride to reach Nuwakot, and from there you can take a local vehicle to reach Taruka.

Bullfighting event takes place during the Maghe Sankranti festival of Nepal. The festival occurs in the first day of the tenth month of Nepali Calendar, Magh. As per the English month, it will take place on January 15, 2019. So, mark your calendar and witness this unique event.

More about the event and what happens

Bullfighting is an event of the winter season. Winter in Nepal is a post-harvest time meaning no crops in the field; there is open space allowing bulls and other animals to play and move freely. Owners of the bull prepare them months before the arrival of the event. The owners choose the most healthy and fierce one and fed them with a high-protein diet to make them more robust, feisty and rowdy. However, during the event, there is no direct role of bull owners, except cheering and provoking their bull from out of the field.

After the fight, the bull that loses runs away. Usually, the owner of the bull that wins takes the losing bull as a reward. However, in recent year cash prizes has also been introduced as a reward.

How is this event different?

Bullfighting event in Taruka village is not like what we have been watching. Unlike the bullfighting event held in Spain and other countries, where men take part in the event, bullfighting in Nepal has no such custom. No human being is made a part of the event; only the bulls are made to fight each other. Very less or no blood is shed during this festival.