VISAKHAPATNAM: As the death of over 20 cattle in 30 days in Simhachalam temple gosala (cow shed) triggered a controversy, the temple management has gone into damage control.
Death of cows and calves has become a routine affair in the gosala where bovines donated as offering to lord Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha are kept. The sorry state is allegedly due to the negligence on the part of administration. The issue has once again hit headlines as 10 cows died in four days.
AP Sadhu Parishad president Swamy Srinivasananda Saraswathi visited the gosala and expressed dissatisfaction over the maintenance of the cowshed in which he found a few empty liquor bottles and pieces of glass. Around 400 cows are presently kept in the cowshed.
The temple authorities have given 100 cows to tribal farmers of Araku and Anantagiri free of cost.
It may be recalled that more than 80 cows and calves had died of starvation at the gosala in one week in 2013. Deaths were due to scarcity of fodder and water, unbearable heat and cramped space. After this incident, the temple management decided to accept only indigenous breed of cattle as offering and not the mixed breed or Jersey.
But still devotees offer Jersey cows and mixed breeds, besides sick ones, the temple management alleges. “ We have been receiving even sick animals. When we reject them, devotees leave them at the foothill of the temple.” one of the employees said.
Tourism minister M Srinivasa Rao visited the gosala on Wednesday and asked the police, revenue, animal husbandry and temple management to work in coordination to address the issue.
