On July 8 several devotees went to the local farm to pick up the new cow and calf for Radhadesh – their names are Ganga and Bhumi. The mother is two years old and her new-born calf is just three weeks old.

Devotees walked with the cow back to the temple (but since Bhumi is still very young she got a ride in the temple van). When they arrived devotees had a small welcoming ceremony with garlands and an arati (and of course some fresh hay and water).

It was a sweet event, and practically the whole community came to welcome them.

If you’d like to see pictures of them arriving, please click here

For many years there have been no young cows at Radhadesh, cows that give milk. For Vaishnavas, taking care of cows is a solemn undertaking because, whether they produce milk or not, once they are taken in by a temple they stay for life. Thus to be able to take care of cows properly a dedicated team is needed.

For several years Surya Kunda Dasa has aspired to take part in cow protection and this year he found himself free to be able to finally take it up seriously. With the support and cooperation of the community at Radhadesh, we are delighted to announce that we now feel ready to upgrade our Cow Protection Program to include two young cows – one of which is still a tender calf.

This program is a very important part of Vedic culture for several reasons. Bulls and cows are considered the basis for an agrarian economy – one that is kind to the earth. When taken care of side-by-side bulls and cows create a stable, sustainable, environmentally friendly source of food production and transport. Cows produce milk and bulls plough the land and pull carts.

Lord Krishna, for His own pleasure and for the prosperity of human society, promotes cow protection. As such in many places He is known as “Gopala” or “One who maintains the cows.” For all these reasons Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON, encouraged his followers to support the protection of cows.

If you would like to help support this project by some kind donations, please transfer it to Radhadesh’s Cow Protection account:

Bank: Dexia
Name of Account: Cow Protection
Account number: 068–2504281–59
IBAN: BE47–0682–5042–8159
SWIFT or BIC: GKCCBEBB

All donors will receive a regular update on how the cows are doing.