photo credit : Ranganatha Chowdary
Ongole
breed of Oxen is famous from Ongole. The Indian subcontinent is the treasure house
of Bos indicus cattle breeds that are the most suited for livestock production
in the tropics, be it for their draft power, milk or meat. Of the many breeds, Ongole is distributed
widely but no longer restricted to the District or the State. Ongole bulls have gone as far as the United
States, the Netherlands, Malaysia, Brazil, and Mexico. The Brahmana bull in
America is an off-breed of the Ongole. An Island in Malaysia where there are
many Ongole Oxen is named as Ongole Island.
It is stated by
cattle lovers that there is no clear picture of the various stages that went
into the making of this breed of cattle. Carvings
of the Nandhi bull, which adorn Sivaite temples in India, bear a true
resemblance to the Ongole bull. They are very fine and majestic-looking cattle, huge in
size, extremely docile and suitable for steady, heavy draft.
The Hindu reports
that the annual Ongole bull race organised at Bonuthala village of Anumala
mandal in Nalgonda district was a huge draw. It was not a running race but
different; as a part of the competition, bulls had to pull a 2,200 kg. weighing rock to as much
distance as possible in a certain time limit. Based on the distance
covered, the organisers presented prize
money to the owner of bulls. Six people
goad each pair of bulls to pull the weight for as much distance as possible in
the time given.
The
logo of the 32nd National
Games 2002, Hyderabad depicted Pearls, the rich heritage of Hyderabad and
athlete torch, the national flame of sports. The Mascot was the Ongole Bull, named aptly ‘Veera’ meaning bravery.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
4th Feb
2015.
