Dear friends of Vrindavan and members of the Green Pilgrimage Network:

A personal invitation from Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti to join in protecting India’s holy sites:

I write to you today from the holy pilgrimage town of Vrindavan, U.P., India to invite you to join in community

efforts to stop the sale of non-vegetarian food items here. Recent increases in tourist traffic to India’s holy places,

including Vrindavan and the sacred region of Braj of which it is a part, has resulted in an ever growing number of

restaurants and shops making non-vegetarian foods available for sale. These foods, which include meat, fish and

eggs, have traditionally been banned in pilgrimage places in recognition of the sanctity of animal life. The sale of

non-vegetarian food products in Braj, which is the dham, or eternal abode, of Lord Krishna, is therefore a

violation of the moral code observed by devotees and pilgrims to protect this holy place and its creatures and also

a threat to centuries-old local custom and heritage.

About the Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance (BVHA), its work and the formation of the Committee to ban

meat, fish, eggs and alcohol sales in the Holy Dham of Braj-Vrindavan:

The Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance (BVHA) is a diverse group of devotees, non-governmental organizations

and religious leaders committed to preserving local heritage, including the natural environment, historic buildings

and intangible heritage such as ritual, culinary and artistic practices. A recent meeting of the BVHA was held at

the temple of Ananda Mayee Ma to specifically address concern surrounding the sale of meat, fish, eggs and

alcohol in India’s holy dhams.

At the meeting, Sewak Sharan Ji, senior founding member and guardian of the BVHA, proposed that a special

committee be formed to counteract the rising prevalence of the sale and consumption of traditionally forbidden

animal products and alcohol. Accordingly, we are forming a committee to stop the sale of any and all items in

India’s holy dhams which may be considered adharmic, or against the moral code and tradition of Braj’s many

residents and pilgrims. Any kind of slaughtering activity, which is primarily done for the benefit of short-term

tourists, is not welcome in Vrindavan.

Committee membership requires agreement with at least one of the eleven statements following this letter. If any

or all of the statements listed apply to you, please join us as a member of the BVHA committee to stop the

consumption and sale of meat, fish, eggs and alcohol for the benefit of the sacred energy of the dham and its many

citizens and pilgrims. Membership can be exercised in person or from afar if necessary. Please see details below.

More on why the BVHA considers meat and alcohol consumption a threat to local heritage:

The BVHA views the consumption of meat and alcohol as tamasic activity, or something that brings excessive

weight and dullness to an otherwise spiritually and physically healthy person. The effects of these actions flow

from the person taking part in them to all of the people and places with which he or she interacts. Meat and

alcohol consumption, therefore, are considered activities that are harmful to the very sacred character of the dham.

The avoidance of animal items in India’s holy places is a long-standing practice; in the not-so distant past, places

like Jagganath Puri would not even allow leather items such as belts inside its main temple. Just as shoes are

removed before entering a temple to show respect, animal products are avoided in Braj and other holy sanctuaries

out of a feeling of universal love and care for both man and animals.

Our religiously based views regarding the harm that inevitably results from meat consumption, which are referred

to extensively in various Hindu scriptures, is supported extensively by modern research; scientific studies have

confirmed that vegetarian eating provides the most hope for ending world hunger and environmental degradation.

Even though such studies are widely reported in such respected institutions as the European parliament and the

United Nations and published in numerous international medical journals, India’s traditionally vegetarian culture

is ignorantly adopting meat-eating practices as evidence of achieving some comparability with cultures that enjoy

a material luxury greater than that which India has seen in the past few centuries.

The BVHA’s commitment to compassion toward all, including those harming the heritage of Braj:

This committee’s undertaking, then, is one of love and compassion for the dhams of India, for animal life, and for

our fellow humans. People interested in making fast and easy money have promoted and supplied harmful items

to the public, items whose negative affect on human health and the natural environment is not yet fully understood

by those consuming the harmful items. Therefore, while we must promote vegetarianism as an act of love and

compassion necessary for sustaining the sacred wisdom passed on to us by our ancestors, we must also deal with

those who still eat meat with great love and compassion, recognizing that they are currently ignorant of the effects

of their actions.

How you can begin to participate and how the committee is moving forward:

The committee will meet for the first time in Vrindavan at Radha Gopinath Mandir. Raja Goswami will facilitate

the meeting and share a presentation on the importance of sacred food. As a new member, you are welcome to

attend this meeting, but if you are unable to attend, you may still participate in the committee’s other activities.

Please call Raghunath Das, BVHA founding member and lifelong vegetarian, at (+91) 9536999299 to learn more

about committee meetings and other ways to participate.

With respect to all and in service to Sri Radhika, who is compassion incarnate and the patron goddess of

Braj-Vrindavan, I look forward to your participation.

Swami B.A. Paramadvaiti

Volunteer of the Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance committee to ban meat, fish, eggs and alcohol for sale in the

Holy Dham. More information: contact@bvhalliance.org

The eleven statements critical to taking action against the sale of meat, fish, eggs and alcohol in the holy dham of

Braj-Vrindavan: 1- I am a strict vegetarian and abstain from taking intoxicants such as alcohol, bhang, etc.

2- I feel deeply hurt in my heart when I see chickens being transported in small cages on their way to the slaughter house.

3- I consider cow protection a true part of Vedic ideals which, if universally adopted, can help the world achieve more sanity

and sanctity.

4- I would not dream of hurting or torturing another animal.

5- I feel hurt when I see the sale of meat, fish or eggs in public market places of holy dhams.

6- I am convinced that the best way of eating is to eat the food which has first been ritually offered to the Lord.

7- I eat a vegetarian or a vegan diet as a best method to be environmentally sustainable, but I recognize that food offered to

God in the temple is superior to that from a market.

8- I want to actively enlighten those who still eat meat concerning the negative effects non-vegetarianism has on both society

and individuals.

9- I want to volunteer to spread Dharmic messages to schools and households by hanging consciousness awareness raising

posters.

10- I offer vegetarian cooking classes in my home for those who don't know how to prepare for moderate costs.

11- I want to make art of any kind, including movies, music, drawing, photos, to promote the awareness of vegetarianism and

to protect animals from the cruelty of insensitive man.