GUJAR KHAN: A bull contest, locally known as Karah was held in the Daultala area of Gujar Khan tehsil, attended by a large number of spectators of all ages from the Rawalpindi and Chakwal districts on Tuesday.

The traditional sport has great significance in Punjabi culture and is greatly loved in rural areas of the province. The competition is held every year on the ursof Baba Boo Dill-i-Bahar, inDaultala. The famous saint, whose ancestors migrated to the Potohar region from Mashhad, Iran is revered in the area.

Scores of bull keepers participated in the contest. In a Karah competition, two bulls are brought to one side of an arena. While two people hold the bulls from the front, one person presses a Karah (a wooden plank), into the soft ploughed earth, so that it gets stuck. The man then sits on the plank, adding to the bulls’ burden. If the animals pull the Karah smoothly, quickly and at a regular pace, this means that they have won.

Talking to Dawn, Chaudhary Umar Gujjar, a resident of Dokhoua village of Gujar Khan who actively participates in Karah with his bulls said that the sport represents the cultural beauty of Punjab and is a recreational activity for people of rural areas, involved in farming.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2022