MYSURU: The little lanes of Nanjangud echo the tales of a very unique bond – one that a man shares with a very sacred animal. Goluru Basavaraju has dedicated his life to the health and welfare of temple bulls, which are a common sight at this revered temple town in Mysuru district. In his 40s, Basavaraju is known as the ‘saviour of bulls’ in these parts, and there are several stories dedicated to this trait.
Recently, when a bus hit a temple bull near the Srikanteshwara Temple, grievously injuring it, Basavaraju, alerted by an onlooker, arrived on the scene and managed to shift the animal under a tree at a nearby park. He also nursed it back to health.
His service to care for bulls started two decades ago, when he noticed a bovine limping near the temple, having injured a limb. “I noticed that the bull was in great pain and decided to help. But I had little knowledge about the treatment, which I learnt by observing veterinarians treating cattle in the villages. With help from some friends, I shifted the bull to the Housing Board grounds,” he says.
With just the Rs 100 in his pocket, he bought some ointment and bandages for the bull. “For nearly 45 days, I regularly dressed its wounds, and monitored its wellbeing, completely through my earnings. The wounds gradually healed and the bull was able to walk again,” he adds.
A town and its bulls
Nanjangud, a temple town dedicated to Lord Shiva, is home to many bulls, which are revered to be his sacred mount.
The bulls are often donated to the temple by villagers as part of the fulfilment of a vow, but are later released near the temple complex. These animals roam freely around town and survive on the food given by devotees or by grazing near the River Kapila.
Many of these bulls fall victim to a range of natural and manmade afflictions and trauma. In the nearly two decades of service, Basavaraju has treated innumerable bulls which were injured either in accidents or during fights with other bulls, or were harmed by miscreants or infected by foot-and-mouth disease. Without depending on anybody for financial support, Basavaraju spends his own money to buy essentials, including medicines – ointments, bandages and even glucose bottles – to treat the weak animals.
Awareness among villagers
Apart from caring for bulls, Basavaraju has also taken on the task of creating awareness among villagers who wish to donate male calves at the temple. This is a practice among villagers of the Mysuru region to donate the calves as part of a vow. This is observed in Nanjangud, along with the Belukuppe temple, Hongalli Madappa temple, and Male Mahadeshwara temple.
The priests of the Nanjangud temple accept a bull after a puja and a mudra depicting a Linga is made on the animal’s body, following which the villagers return home.
Expressing disappointment over this ritual, Basavaraju says that once a male calf is donated to the temple, the villagers seldom return to verify whether the animal is dead or alive.
“I have told several villagers, who come from far-off places, even from Tamil Nadu, ferrying calves in trucks to donate to the temple, to use the animals to till the land instead of having them to be abandoned near the temple in the name of ritual,” he laments.
Also, some miscreants lift bulls off the road to sell in neighbouring states to be slaughtered. Basavaraju has seen the practice of donating bulls to the temple since childhood.
However, over the years, he has noticed the population of bulls decreasing drastically, because of such illegal activities.
Hence, he has urged the government and the temple authorities to open a goshala near the temple, where the bulls can be housed and cared for, feeling blessed in this ancient temple town.
Of snakes and monkeys
Interestingly, Basavaraju has also rescued more than 6,000 snakes which include venomous ones like cobra and viper. He gets regular calls from schools, colleges, hospitals, residences, police and villagers to catch snakes. He also creates awareness about the reptiles, before releasing them back into their natural habitat.
Likewise, Basavaraju has also treated over 60 monkeys, which were injured by electrocution and other reasons. He has also taken care of five injured simians in his house. At present, there are two monkeys, one which is blind, named Ramu; and another, Bhima, which was injured after being attacked by stray dogs.