Sankranti Holiday Special: Andhra Pradesh Gears Up for Grand Cockfighting Events
As the harvest festival of Sankranti draws closer, the festive atmosphere in the former East and West Godavari districts steadily builds to a peak. While homes glow with rangoli, families reunite, and age-old rituals unfold, it is one spectacle that captures the imagination of the rural belt more than anything else — the fiercely competitive tradition of Sankranti rooster fights.
For nearly three days, open village grounds are converted into packed arenas, attracting spectators not only from neighbouring mandals but from distant towns as well. The season has already begun in parts of the Godavari region, spanning areas such as Kakinada, Eluru, Konaseema, Rampachodavaram agency tracts, and the surrounding rural mandals.
Though rooted in long-standing custom, these contests have evolved into high-stakes events. During the festival period, betting reportedly reaches into crores, while even off-season matches involve wagers running into lakhs. Inside the temporary rings — locally called Barlu — outcomes are decided in moments, with roaring crowds, intense rivalries, and sudden reversals of fortune.
What most spectators witness is only the finale. The journey of a champion bird starts months in advance. From Dasara itself, owners begin preparing their prized roosters with extraordinary care. So great is the rush that hotels, lodges, and private guest houses in towns like Bhimavaram, Tanuku, Palakollu, Ravulapalem, and Amalapuram are already fully occupied well before Sankranti.
The birds, known by names such as Dega, Kaki Dega, Kokkirayi, and Nemali, are treated like professional athletes. Their daily regime includes specially planned diets packed with proteins and homemade laddus mixed with dry fruits to improve stamina and strength.
Every two weeks, they undergo elaborate herbal therapy. Leaves of banyan, neem, soapnut, and gooseberry are boiled with turmeric and fragrant roots to create a medicinal bath. After being washed in this preparation, the birds are wrapped in gunny cloth so the warmth can seep into their muscles.
Swimming drills, controlled workouts, and carefully monitored movement exercises form part of their routine. Organisers and trainers believe that only such systematic conditioning can shape a rooster capable of withstanding the intense speed and power demanded inside the ring.
Thus, while the arenas erupt in excitement during Sankranti, the true preparation — silent, disciplined, and relentless — has been unfolding quietly for months across the Godavari countryside.