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In the name of bovine, divine
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A 150-member group led by an 84-year-old man, that has for now set up camp in Sector 39, claims to have been on the move for the last 25 years. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Their carts look more like mobile temples, with pictures of gods, a curtain encasing an inner chamber that houses deities, incense sticks, vermilion ‘teekas’, and music systems playing bhajans. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Families seeking donation in the name of several gods are a feature in the city, especially during the summer. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Here now for the last three months, they are the Gosain clan of nomads from Maharashtra’s Solapur district. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Braving the heat, they have among them toddlers and even octogenarians who stay in tents and walk from morning to night, collecting donations. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Traditionally into cow-rearing, they say the journey started due to scarcity of water at their native place. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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They have been to Vaishno Devi, Jammu, Karnal, Hisar, and then to Panchkula before coming to Chandigarh. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Idols they carry include those of Sai Baba, Durga, Krishna and Shiva. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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The art on the carts is done in Shirdi. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Some of the younger men say nomadic life is difficult, though the children of some of these wanderers take lessons at an ashram in their native district. They say they earn about Rs 250 a day. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Their cattle are particularly healthy as they get donations from many who touch the cow for perceived purification. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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Many residents may see it as some passing religious activity, but attention has been drawn to them by a city-based artist Ram Pratap Verma too, who made them a part of his art in a show in February. (Ravi Kumar/HT Photo)
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