They stand in the middle of Bengaluru's heavy traffic, doze in the narrow streets of Delhi's historic city centre and graze on wasteland on the outskirts of Mumbai. Cows are part of everyday life in India.
For around 80 per cent of Indians who belong to the Hindu faith, the cow is Gaumata - the cow mother. She is seen as the embodiment of life itself: She does not take, she does not harm, she gives.
The fires along the Ganges in Varanasi
Gaumata - the cow mother
In Hindu mythology Kamadhenu the divine wishing cow, primordial mother of all cows and symbol of fertility and abundance. According to tradition, God Krishna grew up as a Gopala guardians of the flocks, protectors of life.
Panchagavya - five gifts, one cycle
What the cow gives is fully utilised. Under the term Panchagavya Hindus have been summarising five products under the term for centuries: Milk and yoghurt as the basis of nutrition, ghee as an offering in temple rituals, dried dung as fuel and fertiliser and urine as a remedy in Ayurvedic practice. Slaughter has no place in this cycle.
An attitude with a history
Feeding a cow is considered a pious act, cows have priority on the road - not by traffic regulations, but by social consensus. Mahatma Gandhi elevated cow protection to a symbol of non-violent resistance, also as a conscious demarcation against the British colonial rulers. Today, the slaughter of cows is prohibited by law in almost all Indian states.
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