Dehradun: The Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath Peeth in Uttarakhand, Swami Shri Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati Maharaj, organized a Gau Pratishthan Andolan and Gau Dhwaj Sthapana Bharat Yatra in Lakshmanpur on Monday. During the event, he spoke at length about the issue of cow slaughter, expressing deep concern over the killing of cows, which he described as an affront to Indian culture and Sanatan dharma.

"It is the diversity and identity of Indian culture that we Sanatanis respect our elders and offer rotis to 'Gaumata', but it is heartbreaking to see them being killed. What could be more beneficial to our enemies than this?" the Shankaracharya said. He criticized past governments, particularly the Congress, for not doing enough to protect cows, despite the party using the symbol of a pair of bulls in its election campaigns. "We thought our 'Gaumata' was free after the British left, but no significant action has been taken for the welfare of cows," he added.

The Shankaracharya condemned the practice of granting subsidies to abattoirs instead of declaring cow slaughter a crime. He demanded the government pass a law banning cow slaughter on behalf of "100 crore Hindus" and emphasized the importance of cow protection. He also noted that while some states have enacted anti-cow slaughter laws, others continue to permit the practice. The Shankaracharya pledged to visit 35 states to conduct special rituals for cow protection.

Earlier, on August 6, the 55th Prakatotsav of Jyotirmath's 55th Shankaracharya was celebrated as the Gopratishtha Festival with great fanfare at Delhi's Talkatora Stadium. The event featured a unique Tuladan tradition, where the Shankaracharya was weighed with rabri, and was attended by prominent politicians and 21 scholars from Kashi.

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