It is an initiative by the Ramachandrapur Mutt to protect Indian species of cows
Kamadugha Yojane has been drawn up to protect Indian cows Of the 70 Indian species of cows, only 31 exist Ramachandrapur Mutt plans to open a `Gogranthalaya' and a `Goloka'
SHIMOGA: "Kamadugha Yojane," better known as Bharatiya Goyatra, undertaken by Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji of Ramachandrapur Mutt to promote Indian species of cows, will arrive here on Thursday.
The 68-day Bharatiya Goyatra, which passed through 27 districts covering a total distance of 4,813 km, will converge at the mutt premises this weekend.
"Kamadugha Yojane" has been drawn up to protect Indian cows in appreciation of the multifarious uses of "Panchagavya," which comprises cow dung, urine, ghee, curds and milk, which is found to be effective in treating major diseases such as cancer and diabetes, as testified by the Council of Scientific Industrial Research. "The fact that cow urine costs more than milk speaks of its limitless medicinal use," the seer said.
He said the cow is the most useful animal not only from the religious point of view but also because of its medical uniqueness. "All these useful ingredients are found in good quantities in the Indian cow, which highlights the need to protect and promote them," he added.
It is disturbing to note that of the 70 Indian species of cows, only 31 exist and it is feared that they will also become extinct unless efforts are made to protect them.
Notable Indian cow breeds include Malenadu Gidda, Amrut Mahal, Hallikaru, Khilari, Jawari, Krishna Valley, Devani, Kamgayam, Amblacherry, Baraguru, Ongol, Vechuru, Dangi, Goulav, Geer, Raati, Thar Park, Haryan, Sahiwal, Konkrej, Malvi, Nagore, Punganore, Bachour, Kemkath, Nimari, Ponwar, Siri, Red Sindhi, Mewad and Mewati.
The seer noted that cow started to lose its importance during the British rule, which disfavoured use of the animals for agriculture. "It is estimated that 10,000 cows are slaughtered every hour, which has pushed Indian cows to the verge of extinction," the seer lamented.
The Kamadugha Yojane envisages the construction of "Goshalas" for Indian cows. Nearly 300 cows from 25 Indian breeds are being reared at goshalas set up by Ramachandrapur Mutt on its premises near Hosnagar in Shimoga district. It is proposed to bring cows from other parts of the country.
The mutt has taken up several schemes to put cow dung and urine to different uses through constant research at its premises. They include "Gavya Chikitsalaya," a laboratory to identify the uses of cow urine and dung and "Gavyamruta" comprising medicines made of cow urine. The mutt plans to open a "Gogranthalaya" (library on cows), a Gopalakrishna Temple and "Goloka" to spread awareness about Indian cows.
The mutt has opened goshalas at Kaggalipura near Bangalore, Muliya near Mangalore and Bajagodlu near Kasaragod where Indian breeds of cow are being reared and protected. The swamiji intends to open at least 108 goshalas all over India to protect Indian breeds of cows. A "Goloka" is coming up on 25 acres of land at Roha in Maharashtra.
The mutt is also engaged in producing several items of utility such as "Kesha Samrakshaka" (shampoo), "Dantamanjana" (tooth powder), soap, pesticides and incense sticks.