Daily Activities

A Day in the Life of Our Cows

The cows wake up between 4:30 am to 5:00 am. At that time, the Goshala team collects the cows’ first urine, which is considered highly pure, holistic, and incredibly useful for medicines.

In addition to urine, devotees collect cow dung, which is then taken for composting or making cakes. Cow dung collecting happens throughout the day to keep the sitting area of the cows clean.

After waking, the cows chew on forage kept in the troughs and drink water available at various spots. Around 6:00 am, they are milked, and that sacred milk is used for services of the Deities.

Open grazing

At 8:00 AM, the cows are ready to go for open grazing assisted by two cowboys from the Goshala. As the doors open, the cows rush to the forest and happily graze for nearly two and a half hours. While they are away, the Goshala staff cleans the dung from the barn. Twice a week, the staff changes the start kept for cushioning on the mud flooring. They give forage to the progenitor bulls who are generally sedentary and like to stay in their stalls.

Preparations for Forage and Silage

Caretakers arrange for silage at this time by soaking dry grass, jaggery, press cakes and other concentrative. This is soaked until 4:30 pm and is then offered in the evening to all the cows and bulls. The caretakers fill all the troughs with green grass before the cows come back from grazing.

Cows return/Cow bathing

At 10:30 AM, the cows return from grazing and feast on the freshly kept green grass. The bulls are then engaged for bullock carts, bull-driven water pumps, and ploughing during the sowing season. Once a week, all the cows and bulls are bathed after they come back.

Day Rest

After this, the cows take rest or keep strolling in the freestall barn that provides the cows with a clean, dry, comfortable resting area and easy access to food and water. The cows are not restrained and are free to enter, lie down, rise and leave the barn whenever they desire. They don’t have a noose either. Resident visitors come throughout the day to spend time with cows and brush them. This makes the cows very happy!