South India’s biggest Goushala (cow shelter), Satyam Shivam Sundaram Gau Nivas located on 8 acres of land and home to about 6000 cows rescued from slaughterhouses is organizing a Grand Annakut Celebration here at its premises at Peddamma Gadda, Gaganpahad in the city on Sunday. It will also celebrate its 23rd Anniversary. A few spiritual and cultural programs will also be held.
Giving details Mr. Dharam Raj Ranka of Satyam Shivam Sundaram Gau Nivas said that the Annakut festival is celebrated at the beginning of each New Year. Lots of variety of food items prepared with love and devotion are offered to God.
Thousands of devotees are expected to participate in the celebrations.
Dharam Raj Ranka added that although the literal meaning of ‘Annakut’ is "mountain of food", it symbolises an offering of food to God and the love and devotion that has gone into preparing it. As part of the Diwali celebrations, Hindus around the world cook a variety of different vegetarian items of food, snacks, sweets, pickles and delicacies as offerings to God. Traditionally Annakut symbolised devotion through offering the first harvest and distributing this to all.
South India’s biggest and India’s best maintained ‘Gou Shala’ Satyam Shivam Sundaram (SSS) Gau Nivas gives a new meaning to the concept of cow protection. Cows who just escaped from the jaws of their death, get a decent life and royal treatment. It was established by Shri Dharam Raj Ranka, an 83-year-old man with a mission to protect India’s most revered animal ‘Cow’. Mr Ranka has fully dedicated his life to the cause of Cow Protection. He is the pioneer of the Gou Shala Concept in twin cities and has been instrumental in setting up several Gou Shalas.