Cockfight season comes to end in Andhra Pradesh

With Makar Sankranti festival bidding adieu, the cockfight season in the state has come to an end here on Thursday.

During the festival, cockfights were held at a large scale in Krishna district in the past three days.

In Ampapuram village, special cockfight arenas were made to conduct the roosters' fight and the betting amount ranges from Rs 50,000 up to Rs 5 lakhs.

Besides punters, a large number of people, including women and children, turn up to witness the fight.

Hannelore, who came from Belgium to visit Andhra Pradesh, told ANI: "This is my first visit to Vijayawada and I have been told that Makar Sankranti is a harvest festival. It is interesting and nice to see local celebrations and culture."

"The cockfights are interesting and I have seen one fight just now. It is very quick. If it is a local tradition, it is nice to see and learn more about it," she added.

Despite a ban on cockfights, rooster fights are a major attraction in most parts of Krishna and West Godavari districts during Makar Sankranti.

During the fight, knives are tied to the legs of thousands of roosters and they are left to fight in the designated arena.