Q. Why do Hindus worship the cow?

A.  Hindus don’t worship cows. We respect, honor and adore the cow. By honoring this gentle animal, who gives more than she takes, we honor all creatures.

Cow was the most common domestic animal or pet in the Hindu society. Just like in the American society cats or dogs are loved so much that the owner will do anything to take care of their cat or dog. They even adore them and let them sleep in their beds. For Hindus, cow was like a beloved pet. But it was not just a pet, it also provided them with many useful things. So it was not just a source of fun, it was also a source of milk to nourish our body, especially for the babies (so it was like a mother), it also provided us with the calves that grew up to work in the fields (most Hindus owned farms and needed these calves and bulls etc to plow the field) Also cows have a great capacity to relate to a human being. And this quality made people very fond of them. Because cows did all these things, our ancestors wanted to make sure if there is no food in the house in the event of a famine etc, that people won't kill and eat their cows, because than they won't have nay source of daily milk and other good things that cow provided. These are some of the reasons Hindus love, adore and even worship the cows.

Hindus regard all living creatures as sacred—mammals, fishes, birds and more. We acknowledge this reverence for life in our special affection for the cow. The cow is a symbol of the Earth, the nourisher, the ever-givi