Sacred Cows

In Hinduism, there is a goddess named Bhoomi, and she is often depicted as a cow.
Bhoomi represents Mother Earth, and is revered for her strength and gentle nature.

There is even a festival called “Mattupongal” that honors cows for their service to mankind.

Take all these things together, and you have the reason why Hindis let cows have the run of the place! (I’m sure there’s much more to it, but that’s what I gleaned from our guides, so far. I’m learning as I go.)

At one point, Larry and I encountered a cow on a sidewalk in Mumbai. When I tried to pass by her head, she just looked at me and would not budge! We passed behind her instead, while she placidly chewed her cud.

Since Mumbai’s a big city, there aren’t a lot of places for cows to graze. We often saw people sitting in the street next to a cow, offering them food and water they had brought with them.

In Goa, on the other hand, cows have plenty of grass to munch on. We even saw cows lounging in the grassy median of a busy road.

As we laughed about this, our cab driver, Nelson, told us that sometimes a cow will decide to sleep in the middle of the road, “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“Does anyone eat these cows?” Larry asked.

“Oh, no, not those,” Nelson told us. “But I’m Catholic, so I eat beef.”Read more