TRAVEL THE WORLD - BIKANER, INDIA

This street scene, photographed in 2007, could be almost anywhere in India. Note the cow in the middle of the street at the very centre of things.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

The cow has been revered as a holy animal in India for a very long time. The origins of this belief are lost in history, but it is considered to have arisen because the cow was the most valuable possession of the people, providing milk which sustains life. Today, it is forbidden to harm a cow. People look after the cows and bulls and feed them when they are able to pull a cart or give milk. When they get old, however, they are left to fend for themselves, and, sadly, can frequently be seen foraging for food in piles of garbage or lying on the ground and in the street.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ORCHHA, INDIA

This photo taken in the Orchha railway station in 2007 is noteworthy for a couple of reasons. First, notice how clean the floor is. This is because in India there are sweepers everywhere. These are people from the scheduled (lower) castes whose job is to sweep the streets and other public places. You will see them busy in the early morning before many people are up and about. Within the last ten years or so, the government has taken measures to reserve a proportion of the jobs in the country for such people in order to free them from caste restrictions as to their employment. Although the caste system was made illegal under British rule and also in the 1950 constitution of India, it remains strong in the attitudes of the people.

The photo is also noteworthy because of the way the bull is allowed to wander freely within the railway station. No one except perhaps a recently arrived tourist would find it remarkable that he is here, because Hindus consider cows to be sacred and therefore to be protected. They are seen everywhere, even on the busiest roads where attempts to avoid hitting them can be a serious traffic hazard. It is thought that cows originally gained their status because their milk was essential to life, and bulls because they were, and still are, an essential beast of burden. Sadly, when their useful life is over, people no longer feed these animals, and they are forced to forage for food. You will see them in and around piles of garbage which seem to collect on the side of the road in every town.

INDIA VACATION 2007

SACRED COWS OF INDIA

Cows are sacred in India. The origins of this belief are lost in history, but, even today, it is forbidden to harm them. Drivers will make dangerous moves to avoid hitting a cow on the street or highway.

Cows are to be seen everywhere: sleeping on the street, feeding in a rubbish pile, or taking a leisurely stroll through a railway station. It is thought that veneration of the cow has its roots in the animal's historic role as an essential support for human life and in being the most valuable possession of most people. The cow provided milk, the bullock provided transport, and dung was the major source of fuel.

Cows continue to play a key role today, especially in rural India. While the animals are able to fulfill these functions, people care for and feed them. Tragically, when they have aged, they are abandoned and forced to forage for their food. Hence, the common sight of the cow on the rubbish heap.