Cow Pongal 2013

Beautiful darshan of Arunachala from the ARS

The third day of Pongal is dedicated to cattle and is called Mattu Pongal. People offer prayers to the bulls, cows and other farm animals. Cows and bulls have always held a special place in India. Cows give nourishing milk while bulls and oxen help plough the fields. Thus, Mattu Pongal is a day when cattle are given a well deserved day of rest and are given pride of place. Therefore the farmers honour their cattle friends by celebrating it as a day of thanks-giving to them.

Front Gate to ARS

Special Kolam Decorations Throughout

I decided to celebrate Mattu Pongal (Cow Pongal) at the Annamalai Reforestation Society as I knew that it would be a good occasion watching them bathe and decorate their nine cows and bullocks. 

Charming Shrines at the ARS

Legend for this day: Lord Ganesh and Goddess Parvati are worshipped and Pongal is offered to them in the 'puja'. According to a legend, once Shiva asked his bull, Basava, to go to the earth and ask the mortals to have an oil massage and bath every day and to eat once a month. Inadvertently, Basava announced that everyone should eat daily and have an oil bath once a month. This mistake enraged Shiva who then cursed Basava, banishing him to live on the earth forever. He would have to plough the fields and help people produce more food. Thus the association of this day with cattle. 

Beautiful Healthy Bulls at the ARS

Bath Time -- one for each

On this celebratory, joyous day cattle are washed, their horns are painted and they are fed with Pongal and given a day of quiet and rest. 

I was particularly fascinated to watch their feed being prepared in the custom made troughs at the ARS. I have been informed that the ingredients are as follows: Bran Husk, Groundnut Oil Cake, Black Gram Powder, Fried Gram Skin, Rock Salt, Urad Dhal Powder – all mixed up with water into a nice soup. From the gusto that the cows and bulls approached their feed – can definitely state that they approved of lunch. 

Yummy Lunch Being Prepared

How beautiful with their flowers and blue horns!

Mani manager of Farm with lady helpers

Blessing Hand

The below are the idols, Annamalaiyar and Unnamlai, that are carried during processions. The idols in the shrine rooms (sannidhi i.e. sanctum sanctorum) always remain where they are. So it is these representative idols that participate in many festivals and also are carried on circumbulation of the streets around the perimeter of the 25 acre Arunachaleswarar Temple. The last time this happened was on the day of Thiruvoodal, 16th January during Pongal. The story of that occasion is really fascinating and I hope to be posting information about it within the next few days.

The same photograph but in more close up so you can see the beautiful detail of the jewels and dress of the idols.

And in even greater closeup the blessing hand of Arunachaleswarar (Annamalaiyar). Click the photograph to get an even closer view.

Cow Pongal

Attended a very sweet cow worship over the Pongal Festival. Cow Pongal is always the third day of the January Festival and wherever celebrated in Tamil Nadu, follows much the same format. The whole cow area will be cleaned, cows bathed and their horns painted. Some cows may even get jewellery or trinklets put around their neck. In the below a kolam (auspicious drawing) is being made at the front of the cow shed.

In the below is Lakshmi, who is a young cow belonging to one of the ladies of the family. Already Lakshmi's future has been decided and she will be kept as a pet, no rigours of constant motherhood and commercial milk production. Artificial insemination is commonly used to impregnate cows. In this respect a visit to the Government Veterninary Centre in Tiruvannamalai is an interesting experience as that is where many of the local cows are artifically impregnated.

As to Lakshmi, as she is not a trained animal she definitely must have some kind of regal karma, notice over the next photographs, how she presents herself for her Pongal flower garland. What a diva!

The next photograph is of one of babies of the dairy. Its an interesting experience having a dairy so close to my home because I can reminded first hand of the business of 'milk production'. And I must admit to being guilty of perpetuating the whole dairy cycle, because my dogs and I, do get through alot of milk products. The neighouring dairy is wonderful compared to most, and the cows have a comparatively lucky, peaceful life, however its a constant reminder of just how badly we exploit our little bretherns.

Whatever it is - one thing is for sure the below calf is a 100% knockout - what a darling.

The below is the inside of the little rustic dairy. Happily most of these cows get to spend the days outside in the nice sun and peaceful surrounds.

In the below some goats, who don't actually have such a protected life as the dairy cows - as an animal activist from Andhra Pradesh once told me, 'Everytime you see a goat - you see meat on the hoof - they are all for slaughter.'

One of the ladies making last minute preparations for Pongal puja at the cow shed.

A worker at the dairy had prepared a lemon, by incising a cross on the top which is then filled with red kumkum powder and packed with camphor. The camphor will be lit and then waved as jyothi during the puja.

Once the lemon is used, then the same thing happens with a white pumpkin. After the camphor is burned off, the pumpkin will be smashed and broken on the ground to ward of evil and negative vibrations.

The smokey haze in the below, is that of frankincense which has been wafted as a purifying agent all around the cow shed. These little ones are just hanging out together in mutual companionship, wondering at all the madness of the day - well one big plus for all the cows is they had their fill of special treats including LOTS of bananas.