Gopashtami celebrated at 100-year-old Gaushala
Hundreds of men, women and children gathered today to celebrate Gopashtami — a festival dedicated to Lord Krishna and cows — with great reverence and religious fervour at the over 100-year-old Gaushala.
On the occasion, the chairman of the Punjab Gau Seva Commission, Ashok Singla, inaugurated the newly constructed ‘Gau Vedic Yogshala’, which has been built in memory of the late social activist Jagdish Rai Chuchra. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Dr Mahesh Chuchra, the brother of the late activist, along with other family members.
The event was graced by several dignitaries, including MLA Sandeep Jakhar, former MLA Arun Narang, and SAD leader Harbinder Singh Harry, who shared the dais with Singla. The guests praised Fakir Chand Goyal, the president of the Gaushala Managing Committee and Rakesh Kalani, the committee’s secretary, for their efforts in renovating the century-old buildings and providing shelter for stray animals.
As part of the celebrations, devotees worshipped cows by garlanding them, cleaning their feet and offering special fodder. Large portraits of Lord Gopal Krishna and the sacred Gau Mata (Mother Cow) were displayed on stage, with devotees from surrounding villages also attending the event to pay their respects and seek blessings from Bhagwan Gopal Krishna.
A Havan Yagya (sacred fire ritual) was performed as part of the religious observances. Visitors also paid their respects at the Gopal Mandir, which had been recently renovated with contributions from the MD Hiteshi Lajwanti Memorial Trust. In a gesture of goodwill, blankets were distributed to the staff of the Gaushala.
