Cattle had been central to pure farming practices when villages in Goa had been primarily agrarian. A day within the yr was sacralised as gorvancho padvo — an event for households to make their herd really feel particular. As untilled fields creep throughout extra of Goa’s lands, few households at the moment rear cattle and even fewer are left with native breeds to mark the competition, often celebrated a day after Diwali
For ages, a phalanx of cattle, their horns making Bhoma village glow with a festive purple hue, had been arrayed for worship. At this time, a lone household on the village sustains gorvancho padvo or gau puja (cow worship), shepherding the custom away from oblivion.
The puja was an particularly eventful day till a few a long time in the past at Bhoma village of Ponda taluka, dwelling to a group of conventional farmers.
A household might personal a herd of as much as 40 and younger boys had been despatched via the forests and hills to spherical up the cattle for the occasion. The competition falls on Balipratipada within the Hindu calendar, often a day or two after Diwali.
Ulhas Shankar Naik and his household are the final within the village now with a herd and subsequently the one custodians of the custom of gorvancho padvo. So on the day of the puja, neighbours and different villagers flock to the Naiks’ dwelling to seize a chunk of bhakri (pancake) tied to the cows’ necks. A little bit of the bhakri — manufactured from floor native purple rice — is believed to supply a blessing.
Over time, the Naik household has stopped tilling its fields and, after the pandemic, stopped promoting milk.
Sacred & spectacular sights
We’re the one household left in the complete village with cattle of the native breed. We have now eight of them. As youngsters, it was our job to collect all of the 40-45 cattle belonging to the household,” remembers Ulhas, 50. “It was an incredible sight to see all of the 45 cows and bulls tied in a row. They had been bathed and their horns had been painted purple with a pigment derived from a neighborhood berry. They had been garlanded with flowers and colored paper.”
Although the household continues this follow with its herd of eight, it avoids portray the horns, because the native berries are now not obtainable. The Naiks need to maintain their cattle away from oil paints utilized by some for the observances.
Fifteen-year-old Nandini is the household’s oldest cow and, as an honour, she will get worshipped earlier than all of the others.
“We take wood rice bowls, historically used to measure rice, dip them in a paste of white clay and create designs of the cows’ our bodies to embellish them,” Ulhas says. “We then worship the cows with flowers and sandalwood, and carry out aarti. We mild up dhoop and incense sticks. We set off firecrackers after the aarti. We worship the cows simply as we venerate Lord Ganesh on Ganesh Chaturthi.”
Treasures for livelihood
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When households earned their livelihood from farming at Bhoma, their cattle had been their revered treasures. Cow dung was used as fertiliser within the fields, and dried dung truffles labored as gasoline for cooking at dwelling. The households even keep in mind utilizing burnt cow dung, retrieved from the fireside, as toothpaste.
Ulhas’s niece Manjita says that when the cattle tilled the fields, gorvancho padvo was a day of full relaxation for the animals.
“To this present day, we tie bhakris on the cows’ necks after the worship rituals finish. Later, the household and the cows share bhakris,” Manjita says. “It’s a custom for the neighbours to attempt to get a chunk of a bhakri. It’s thought of an amazing achievement to get a bit to eat.”
The puja pancake isn’t cooked on every other day.
Artworks of a convention
After the cows are worshipped on gorvancho padvo, the households make replicas of a cowshed utilizing cow dung. A herder is depicted by a determine created utilizing the native wild fruit referred to as karit. A hearth is designed too. By night, dung is scooped as much as be formed as a tulsi vrindavan (pedestal), and a tulsi sapling is planted into it.
On the night of gorvancho padvo, dung is scooped as much as be formed as a tulsi vrindavan (pedestal), and a tulsi sapling is planted into it
“The day after gorvancho padvo, some dung is collected and plastered onto a wall to make a cow dung cake,” says Dinesh Anant Naik, a member of the family. “That is the beginning of the annual course of of constructing cow dung truffles, which the household will use all year long for gasoline within the kitchen and to warmth bathwater.” He provides, “At this time, the complete village seeks the cow dung truffles from us for funeral rituals.”
On the finish of the aarti on gorvancho padvo, the household breaks coconuts on the ft of a cow. Coconut items are distributed with sugar to all of the neighbours.
Historic rhythms disrupted
Twenty to 25 years in the past, tilling fields turned financially unfeasible. The economic property uphill stoked an inflow of individuals from outdoors and a few cows had been stolen as they grazed,” Ulhas says. “Such disruptions modified village dynamics and villagers determined to promote their cows. We proceed the custom with the offspring of the cows owned by our ancestors.”
