The first Gaurakshini sabha (cow protection society) was established in Punjab in 1882.^[5] The movement spread rapidly all over North India and to Bengal, Bombay, Madras presidencies and other central provinces. The organisation rescued wandering cows and reclaimed them to groom them in places called gaushalas. Charitable networks developed all through North India to collect rice from individuals, pool the contributions, and re-sell them to fund the gaushalas. Signatures, up to 350,000 in some places, were collected to demand a ban on cow sacrifice.^[6] Between 1880 and 1893, hundreds of gaushalas were opened.^[7] Pathmeda godham is the largest Gaushala in India with over 85000 cows being sheltered in the small town of Pathmeda in southern Rajasthan.