In September of 2018 the Goshala, New Gokul’s hay barn was tragically burnt down. However, this year it was completely rebuilt by LAD Construction, and the Managing Director Mr Jayesh Lad put his heart and soul into the reconstruction of the building, which includes a blend of quality timber and steel frames.
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After a long winter stay inside the barns, the cows and oxen will be released into the pastures on 21st April. We all look forward very much to this day every year. We call this day, ‘Go Mocana Utsava ‘– the festival of the letting out of the cows! And its a festival! Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Gokulananda will be gracing us with their presence, coming all the way from their altar just to see their favourite cows and enjoy the spectacle of seeing them leaping with joy and stretching themselves after their long winter months inside the barns.
When: Sunday 21st April at 9.45am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
Gomocanotsava schedule : Sunday 8th-April
cows being let out
Each spring, the Manor’s New Gokul farm goes through the “letting out of the cows” ritual, whereby the cows and bulls are overjoyed to be let out again in the fields after being kept sheltered inside for the winter. Everyone laughs and cheers as the herd race across the fields, jumping and moo-ing in happiness. A truly delightful and entertaining experience for both cows and humans alike!
When: Sunday 22nd April at 9.45am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
Gomocanotsava schedule : Sunday 8th-April
cows being let out
Each spring, the Manor’s New Gokul farm goes through the “letting out of the cows” ritual, whereby the cows and bulls are overjoyed to be let out again in the fields after being kept sheltered inside for the winter. Everyone laughs and cheers as the herd race across the fields, jumping and moo-ing in happiness. A truly delightful and entertaining experience for both cows and humans alike!
When: Sunday 2nd April at 9.45am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
Gomocanotsava schedule : Sunday 2nd-April
cows being let out
Each spring, the Manor’s New Gokul farm goes through the “letting out of the cows” ritual, whereby the cows and bulls are overjoyed to be let out again in the fields after being kept sheltered inside for the winter. Everyone laughs and cheers as the herd race across the fields, jumping and moo-ing in happiness. A truly delightful and entertaining experience for both cows and humans alike!
When: Sunday 10th April at 9.45am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
Each spring, the Manor’s New Gokul farm goes through the “letting out of the cows” ritual, whereby the cows and bulls are overjoyed to be let out again in the fields after being kept sheltered inside for the winter. Everyone laughs and cheers as the herd race across the fields, jumping and moo-ing in happiness. A truly delightful and entertaining experience for both cows and humans alike!
When: Sunday 26th April at 10am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
Bhaktivedanta Manor’s New Gokula farm is a very active place that has a wide variety of activities, especially during the summer months. Not only is it a place of very high ethical food production but it also hosts volunteers and others interested in aspects of animal welfare, sustainability and food production. Nearly 24 hours a day there is something going on at the farm!
Wwoof/Workaway/Helpex volunteers
There are three global organisations that link persons wanting to volunteer, and hosts looking for volunteers. WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms) is the largest and provides the most volunteers.
They are the hands and legs of the working vegetable production. They weed the crops, harvest, plant, clean, help in the kitchen, help with the cows and work with the oxen.
Work Experience for Future vets
Over the past few years the farm been approached by students who are aiming to become veterinarians . They come for about a week and help with milking, working with oxen, nursing sick cows, milling grains, cleaning, shop keeping and sometimes even rope making. They have a very diverse experience and express great satisfaction when they leave.
Community Pay-Back helpers
The Manor hosts local people who have to pay back a number of hours to society as part of a magistrate’s penalty. They play a very important role in our horticultural department with spreading fertilizers, helping with manual tasks, festival clear up, hedge maintenance, tree work and weeding. Often they are helping two days a week, but when requested they will bring teams to help on many days as during the festival periods. They often express how much they have benefitted from their experience.
Horticulture
At the west of the Manor’s property lie 8 acres of production land for vegetables and fruits. These lands are cultivated as naturally as possible with no pesticides or herbicides. The land is ploughed using our strong oxen and Amish ploughs. Fields are fertilized with manor cowmanure and spread with teams of volunteers. Many types of herbs, vegetables and fruits are grown, harvested and used in the manor’s kitchens. Some surpluses are sold for the pleasure of our visitors.
Hay-making
During June to August it is a common sight to see teams of oxen moving to and from some of our fields in the surrounding countryside. Cars pull over as the oxen lumber past pulling their loads, with yokes creaking under the pressure of the load. The oxen walk nonchalantly by with their carts stacked high with hay. Some neighbours have expressed appreciation as to how the oxen act as traffic calming measures! The hay hauled by our teams have been cut on leased land , and is then dried using ox pulled hay turners, and rowed in readiness for a local farmer to bale it. The oxen then stand ready as their wagons are loaded up and then return back to the Manor to deliver their contribution.
Each spring, the Manor’s New Gokul farm goes through the “letting out of the cows” ritual, whereby the cows and bulls are overjoyed to be let out again in the fields after being kept sheltered inside for the winter. Everyone laughs and cheers as the herd race across the fields, jumping and moo-ing in happiness. A truly delightful and entertaining experience for both cows and humans alike!
When: Sunday 23rd March at 10am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
Each spring, the Manor’s New Gokul farm goes through the “letting out of the cows” ritual, whereby the cows and bulls are overjoyed to be let out again in the fields after being kept sheltered inside for the winter. Everyone laughs and cheers as the herd race across the fields, jumping and moo-ing in happiness. A truly delightful and entertaining experience for both cows and humans alike!
When: Sunday 14th April at 10am
Where: At New Gokul (The Manor’s farm)
10am April 8th (Easter Sunday)
The devotees who work on New Gokul farm would like to invite you to the cows’ favourite day of the year—the day when they are let out onto the lush green grass after a winter inside the barns. It is a great time to see the cows and bulls at their most energetic. They race around, have mock-fights, take running leaps into the air and generally go a bit crazy. It is a sight you will never forget!
The joy comes partly because they wil again graze freely the juicy and fresh grass as well as because they are no longer confined in their winter shelter.
This year the date is April 8th, Easter Sunday. The programme will start at 10am, where Sri-Sri-Radha-Krishna in their Deity forms will be taken to the farm. It is one of the few times a year Their Lordships can be seen outside the temple room. You will have to come on the day to see what other festivities we have in store…
Check out the video of last year’s “letting the cows out” here.
