World's First Sanctuary Exclusively For Cows.
We visited Gou-Swarga on the way to Kumta from Siddapur. It is in Bankuli village, about 6 km from Siddapur town and we had to take a village road for about 1.5 km off the Siddapur-Kumta Road. Siddapur town itself is about 10 km from Jog Falls. The sanctuary was set in a very serene rural farmland area with hills and forests surrounding the estate.
There was no parking or entry fee and we just walked in through the gates and a garden pathway leading to the sanctuary enclosure. There was a rectangular lake in the centre with hundreds of cows in the open enclosures around the lake. None of the cows were tied up and they were free to roam and feed in their enclosures. Some preferred the shaded areas while some were standing in the open sunshine. They all seemed to be at peace in their surroundings. Some of them had their calves standing besides them. One cow and calf were resting in a bed of hay in the walkway and we fondled the calf gently with the mother looking at us with a wary eye. Here the calf has the first right to its mother’s milk.
It is a very unique concept to have a sanctuary for our desi holy cows, and the first of its kind in the world. It has been conceived and built by Sri Ramachandrapura Matha. There are lush paddy fields and grasslands nearby to provide fodder for the cows and plentiful water bodies in the valley surrounded by the hills of the Western Ghats.
Besides the sanctuary there is a medical care unit for cows, a place to conduct pujas and havans, a meditation arena, a library with cow related books, a shop selling cow related ayurvedic products as well as some daily requirement products, an auditorium for cultural programs, a mini theatre for audio-visual shows, and a huge production unit for cow related products. In addition there is lodging facility and a restaurant for people who want to stay overnight and do go-seva.
We bought some special pellet feed from the shelter-in-charge for ₹101 and fed some of the cows with our own hands. The cows came forward eagerly and happily took the feed from us. It was our first experience of interacting with cows. Before this we always thought that cows were sleepy and docile animals.
It is worthwhile to pay a visit to Gou-Swarga specially if your children are accompanying you. It’s a different kind of place than a regular zoo, as you can actually touch and befriend an animal, and get to know why they are called ‘Holy Cow’.
There was no parking or entry fee and we just walked in through the gates and a garden pathway leading to the sanctuary enclosure. There was a rectangular lake in the centre with hundreds of cows in the open enclosures around the lake. None of the cows were tied up and they were free to roam and feed in their enclosures. Some preferred the shaded areas while some were standing in the open sunshine. They all seemed to be at peace in their surroundings. Some of them had their calves standing besides them. One cow and calf were resting in a bed of hay in the walkway and we fondled the calf gently with the mother looking at us with a wary eye. Here the calf has the first right to its mother’s milk.
It is a very unique concept to have a sanctuary for our desi holy cows, and the first of its kind in the world. It has been conceived and built by Sri Ramachandrapura Matha. There are lush paddy fields and grasslands nearby to provide fodder for the cows and plentiful water bodies in the valley surrounded by the hills of the Western Ghats.
Besides the sanctuary there is a medical care unit for cows, a place to conduct pujas and havans, a meditation arena, a library with cow related books, a shop selling cow related ayurvedic products as well as some daily requirement products, an auditorium for cultural programs, a mini theatre for audio-visual shows, and a huge production unit for cow related products. In addition there is lodging facility and a restaurant for people who want to stay overnight and do go-seva.
We bought some special pellet feed from the shelter-in-charge for ₹101 and fed some of the cows with our own hands. The cows came forward eagerly and happily took the feed from us. It was our first experience of interacting with cows. Before this we always thought that cows were sleepy and docile animals.
It is worthwhile to pay a visit to Gou-Swarga specially if your children are accompanying you. It’s a different kind of place than a regular zoo, as you can actually touch and befriend an animal, and get to know why they are called ‘Holy Cow’.
Date of experience: December 2019
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
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