Every year, if I am in town in Chennai, I visit my neighbourhood cowshed to celebrate Mattu Pongal. It’s now over a decade and the experience is emotional which I would like to share. I should add here that these cows are an integral part of my household as I source manure from here for my organic garden at home.
In the morning, on Mattu Pongal, an area in the cow shed is cleaned, kolam is drawn and a compact enclosure is made out of cow dung. Lord Vinayaka is then created, again out of cow dung. Lighted lamp and offerings with plantains and betel leaves are placed before the Lord. The decoration of the cows takes place in the evening as the cows return home after grazing in the neighborhood during the day. I was there at the cow shed when the decorations had just commenced. I found that in the current year, the head count of the cows have increased to over a score, with about half a dozen calves also joining the family.
All the family members operate as a team to decorate each cow. To start with, each cow is given a bath and then the horns are painted. This time the right horn is painted yellow and the left horn painted red for all the cows in the shed uniformally. A black rope is tied across the forehead with a white conch. A few bells adorn the neck which chimes as the cows shake their heads.
Finally, turmeric and kumkum are placed on the forehead and in select areas of the body of each cow, which is very pleasing to the eyes.
In the earlier years, all the decorated cows were taken round the neighborhood and also to select houses where the milk was delivered regularly. But now due to practical constraints, this practice has been dispensed with. Instead, one of the cows is additionally decorated and is taken to the nearby temple, to seek the blessings of the Lord. In this case a special colourful collection of beads is tied round the neck of the selected sacred cow.
When so decorated all the cows were so attractive with divine grace embracing the atmosphere. These are moments to cherish even in this fast paced materialistic world, which will linger in our minds for long.
Sundar Rajan
