Goshala
Gaushalas or Goshalas (Hindi: गौशाला, romanized: gauśālā) are protective shelters for stray cows in India. Government grants and donations are the primary source of income of the cow shelters in India. Since 2014, when BJP government came into power in India, India has spent ₹5.8 billion (US$69 million) on cow shelters in two years between 2014 and 2016.[1]
Description
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Goshala, a Sanskrit word ("Go" means cow and "Shala" means a shelter place: Go + Shala = shelter for cows), means the abode or sanctuary for cows, calves and oxen.[2]
History
[edit | edit source]The first Gaurakshini sabha (cow protection society) was established in Punjab in 1882.[3] The movement spread rapidly all over North India and to Bengal, Bombay, Madras presidencies and other central provinces. The organization rescued wandering cows and reclaimed them to groom them in places called gaushalas. Charitable networks developed all through North India to collect rice from individuals, pool the contributions, and re-sell them to fund the gaushalas. Signatures, up to 350,000 in some places, were collected to demand a ban on cow sacrifice.[4] Between 1880 and 1893, hundreds of gaushalas were opened.[5] Pathmeda godham is the largest Gaushala in India with over 85000 cows being sheltered in the small town of Pathmeda in southern Rajasthan.[6]
Government grants
[edit | edit source]Since the BJP government came into power in India in 2014, India has spent ₹5.8 billion (US$69 million) on cow shelters in between the years 2014 and 2016.[1]
To prevent unproductive cows being sent to the abattoir, the government started the Rashtriya Gokul Mission in mid-2014, a national program that involves constructing havens for retired cows. Proceeds from the animals' bodily waste are intended to pay for their upkeep. In May 2016, the Indian national government held an inaugural national conference on goshalas. The Niti Ayog is working on developing a roadmap for Gaushala economy to develop commercial use of cow urine and cow dung for various purposes.[7]
Other sources of income
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Donations are the only source of income for the Goshala. Some goshalas offer yoga and music lessons for additional income.[8][better source needed]
See also
[edit | edit source]- Rajpur Deesa Panjarapole
- Cow protection movement, India
- Cattle slaughter in India
- Cattle in religion
- Hinduism
- Cow house
References
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- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ The Making of an Indian Metropolis, Colonial governance and public culture in Bombay, 1890/1920, Prashant Kidambi, p. 176, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- ^ Vishnu's crowded temple, India since the great rebellion, pp. 67-69, Maria Misra, 2008, Yale University Press, Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value)..
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
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External links
[edit | edit source]- Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
