Chilkur performs "Laguda Pratipada or Bull Festival"

Hyderabad: The Chilkur Balaji temple in Telangana performed 'Laguda Pratipada or Bull Festival' for the second time as entire South India celebrated 'Laguda Pratipada or Bull Festival'.

This festival was first celebrated in October 2018, as the festival involves farmers of surrounding villages who bring their farm bulls and make them walk around the Chilkur Balaji temple.

By performing this festival, it is believed that all the cattle in the farmers' homes become healthy and free of all diseases.

The idea behind the worship is to ensure people manage and maintain their animate as well as inanimate resources. They say "the life of Vedic people wants to express gratitude to anything."

A report of World Agricultural Organisation in 1996 stated that the native breeds of cattle from India were fast disappearing. Our focus must be complementary to our culture and rural economy. Cattle has always been the root of agriculture. The mutual dependence of agriculture and cow has come to be known as 'Swetakranti'.

While 70% of farmers cannot work with tractors on their small lands, about 12 crore acres of land remain sterile. The fertility of these lands can be increased with the urine and dung of cattle, even of the animals who are old or invalid. The energy in the body of the cattle also prevents atmospheric pollution.

It is said that the bulls are the best Indian tractors. They are the friends of the environment and enemies of pollution.

While in 1951 there were 700 cattle for every thousand people, by 2001 it came down to 400. If this continues, it might reduce to 20 by 2021. It is regrettable that cattle, although most useful, are being declared useless.

Cattle has many uses such as ploughing the land, drawing a motor, drawing juice from sugarcane or rotating the oil press. Livestock serves as natural fertilizers & insecticides.

The basis of our culture is agriculture, for which we have to protect cattle. Hence this festival stated the report.