Preserving a bovine legacy

After trudging along the narrow, winding roads between coffee estates, when we reached Daradahalli, (about 10 km from Mudigere Handpost), we were welcomed by a bugle made from a cow’s horn. Daradahalli, located in Chikkamagaluru district, houses a unique kind of government veterinary hospital. It wouldn’t be wrong to call this a viswaroopadarshana of the cows.

What most people know about cows is that they yield milk and their waste also has many utilities. However, going beyond such common knowledge and honouring these animals in their own way, the hospital has created a museum of sorts, which is meant to depict the importance of animals. It is a reflection of veterinarian Krishnaraju’s reverent sentiment and social concerns for cattle.

The museum, which is housed in three small rooms of the hospital, has been done very artistically. Krishnaraju is the master and the janitor of the museum. As we
enter through the gates of the hospital, our attention is drawn to a nursery, where there are over 30 medicinal saplings. Also, a light that works on cow waste, artefacts made from bones and horns leave us awestruck.

Turning right, we see many folk agricultural implements. We also spot a yoke from olden days, which was a pivotal agricultural tool. We can also see how muzzles used have evolved from being leather to coir to plastic. We now see how these have become a part of ornamental decorations. This is all in detailed information in here.

Bugles, hammers and torches made from cow horns, whips from various states across India, various kinds of percussion instruments from cow hide, the gums of cows which were used as lamps in ancient times, clay utensils where milk was curdled, a 200-year-old ghee pot are all found here. For those with an interest in such things, one day is not enough to satiate their artistic appetites.

Krishnaraju has been involved in this unique and interesting endeavour for the last 25 years. He was raised in poverty by his mother, who sold her jewellery to fend for him. At some point of his life, he began respecting cows as much as he respected his mother, he says. Now he goes from house to house, offering advice on how to nourish these animals scientifically, and even offers them domestic medicine, free of cost. He is a popular personality in the 16 villages in and around the area.

“A neem tree for a farm and a cow for a house can help farmers gain economical and nutritional benefits,” Krishnaraju says. None of his activities was done with economic gains in mind. Local students, who also resorted to the practice, have been growing vegetables using cow waste.

The museum which has drawn visitors from all over India and beyond, sees visitors every day. But he has to struggle everyday to maintain the display in limited space and protect the exhibits from termite problem. This place, which has the potential to become an oriental museum, sadly is need of attention for betterment.

(Translated by Deepika Nidige)