Dairy farmers celebrate 'Maattu Pongal'

Puducherry: "Maattu Pongal", the festivaldedicated to the care and welfare of cattle, was celebrated inthe union territory with special poojas to the milch animals.

Painting the horns cattle owners also took their animalsfor a ride in the villages.

Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy, accompanied bySpeaker V Sabapathy garlanded the statue of Tamil savantThiruvalluvar here today as the day was being celebrated asThiruvalluvar Day in Puducherry.

Special poojas were performed to the "Nandhi" in temples.

Mattu Pongal is celebrated on the second day of the threeday long Pongal festival in the Tamil month of "Thai".