Go Pooja - An Age-old Tradition

Rajesh Govindarajulu

Indians have been revering the cow for a long time. The wealth of people was measured in terms of the number of cows held by them. Rulers used to hold an annual census with regard to the cows owned by the kingdom. The Tamil movie ' Saraswathiyin Sabatham ' opens with a Go Pooja song. Women used to conduct Go Poojas on Fridays. It was an important part of the lives of Indians. Our country was extremely prosperous during the times when the cow was an integral part of the society. Lord Krishna was a cow herd and his past times as one are held sacred even today. The story of Krishna as Gopal was shared by grannies to their grandchildren. These cow stories were part of bedtime stories in each and every household.

It is high time to bring back the old ' Prosperous India ' by performing ' Go Poojas ' regularly. The M & M Dairy Farm is one of the places that are suitable for conducting Go Poojas. It is located in the Kallukadai Pirivu in Theethipalayam on the outskirts of Perur ( Coimbatore ). The farm was founded by clubbing two names - Meenakshisundaram and Muthiyalu. Radesh is the other name of Muthiyalu. He hails from the influential Raja Family and they were living in Dharapuram for several generations. The family traces its origin to Rajamundhry in Andhra Pradesh. This region is known for its sweet Telugu. A number of traditional weavers lived in this fertile region.

Muthiyalu is a man with a mission. He is lucky to have a like minded partner. The farm at Theethipalayam is today a natural farm. It is adhering to the principles of the proponent of Zero Budget Farming - Subhash Palekar. The famous green NGO Siruthuli had once invited him for a four day programme and about 2500 farmers participated in the same. Muthiyalu is going by the principles of Subhash Palekar. The farm uses the urine and the dung from native cows as fertilizer. It is heartening to see the good work of Meenakshisundaram and Muthiyalu. Susruth Muthiyalu is also working alongside his father. Coimbatore, the ecological capital of Tamilnadu has fortunately produced numerous youngsters like the green minded Susruth.

Visitors to this farm will be pleasantly surprised to notice the stock of Kankrej cows ( an Indian breed which gives A2 milk ). Kankrej is an Indian breed of Zebuine cattle and it originates from the Rann of Kutch ( an arid region in Gujarat ). This breed is used for draught work and milk production. These huge cows have long horns. The farm is kept spic and span. It is therefore ideal for offering prayers. Visitors / Devotees can perform a Go Pooja in this farm. Let us first look at the products made available by the promoters of the farm. They offer A2 milk, ghee , sambrani, pots, diyas, vibhuti and Ganeshas made with the items available from the cows in the farm.

Muthiyalu moves about by stroking each and every cow, calf and bull in the farm. The farm hands are on a friendly basis with him. A visit to this farm is likely to make the person get drawn to the place permanently. The nearby Prabanjana Hanuman Temple is an added attraction. The lovely cows, the green farm and the agrarian neighborhood offer many incentives for the devotee to visit the farm. Well, now let us come to the performance of the sacred Go Pooja in this farm. One has to contact Muthiyalu ( 95009 69069 ) in order to conduct the Pooja.

A list of items need to be procured. They include camphor, agarbatti sticks, sandalwood powder, turmeric powder, powdered jaggery, kumkumam, flower strands, flowers, rice , some greens, darbhai, coconut, fruits, betel leaves, betel nuts, match box, two pieces of fabric ( can be a dhoti and angavastram ). The couple should be traditionally dressed and the rest of the family can also participate in the Pooja. An officiating priest helps out in the Pooja. The Pooja cow is first brought to the spot. It is given a ritual wash. The tail, four legs and the forehead are washed and anointed with turmeric paste , kumkumam etc.,

The couple sit down and do a Ganapathy Pooja. A turmeric Ganesha is offered flowers and a detailed Pooja. Thereafter, the couple offer flowers to the cow and this is done along with the recitation of prayers. a garland is placed on the neck of the cow. It is given some fruits, vegetables and greens to eat. Thereafter, an aarti is performed and the family go around the cow thrice. They prostrate in front of it after this Pooja. The coconut is broken during the pooja and the part which has the holes is brought back home by the devotee. This Pooja will endow the devotee with health, wealth , long life and contentment. It is important to feed the cow and the devotee has to mix the rice and powdered jaggery first and then give it to the cow personally.

Devotees adorn the cow with the fabric pieces that had been carried by them. They are brought back and placed in the cash box or locker at the home or office of the devotee. Now arises the big question. When is the right day to conduct the Pooja. While each day is good, there are some special days. Fridays, Muhurtham days, Ugadi, Akshaya Tritiya, Vijayadasami, Bali Patiya, Adi month, Margazhi, Pourmami, Amavasya are the best days. Devotees can do this Pooja on their birthday and Wedding Anniversary too. The Pooja on the Mattu Pongal is very important.

Swarna Abarana Go Pooja should also be done. The devotees can adorn the cow with a lot of ornaments and do a Pooja with Swarna Pushpam or gold coins. It can be made to wear Conjeevarams on this day. Lord Narayana as Abharanadhari is sure to bless everyone performing the Pooja with health , wealth and a long life. Good progeny , marriage and relief from debts will also take place. This Swarna Abarana Go Pooja can be done by 1, 3, 5 , 7 , 9, 16, 27, 51 or 101 women. India and Coimbatore in particular are popular for the manufacture of ornaments. Therefore it is important to do this Pooja. The cow belonging to the famous jeweler Vysya Bhushanam P.A.Raju Chettiar used to be adorned with a huge quantity of ornaments on Mattu Pongal day and it would go to the Temple in all splendor. People used to wait and see this lovely Gomatha.

Dileepa the ancestor of Lord Rama performed Go Poojas along with his wife and was blessed with the great Raghu, the great grandfather of the Maryada Purushottam. The dynasty is known as Raghuvamsam even today. There are several such instances of Go Pooja stories in our puranas. These stories are replete with such auspicious messages.

Let us do the Go Pooja regularly and the Swarna Abarana Go Pooja on important days in the company of one another. This issue to endow everyone with all the 16 forms of wealth. Gomatha is our Bharatakulamatha. Let us revere her. She will bless us with abundance.

Mr. Rajesh Govindarajulu is one of the founding members of The Verandah Club Pvt. Ltd. He is a leading columnist, historian, jeweler, entrepreneur, and a heritage enthusiast who is earnestly working to revive the past in the light of the present. Experiential learning about the history of Coimbatore is his main course of interest and he is also a panel member of many colleges in the city.