The cow is a very useful pet animal. It is a domestic animal kept by people at home for many purposes. The cow is a feminine gender of ‘ox’. The cow has four legs, two horns, a tail, two eyes, two ears and four udders. She eats a lot of grass and fodder. She produces milk.
Milk contains calcium, protein and vitamins which makes our bones strong and makes us healthy by increasing the immunity system. It helps us by keeping away diseases and infections from us.
Milk is not only taken as a drink in our diet but there are some other products which are made by Milk. Such as- Curd, Cheese, butter. In India, numbers of sweets are made of Milk, such as- Rasgulla, Ras Malai, Kheer, Lassi and even some deserts are made of milk. But people having lactose intolerance should avoid taking dairy products.
The cow is worshipped as a goddess in the Hindu community in India. They call Cow as a mother, ‘Gaumata’.They use cow milk, ghee, curd and even cow dung in their auspicious occasions.
They worship her is because for a long time cows and oxen have been main source of livelihood of farmers and agricultural-based occupation. Cow dung is a source of organic fertilizer which is alternative of harmful chemical fertilizers.
Oxen have been traditionally used for agricultural uses like- ploughing the fields, carrying bullock-carts etc. Uples made of cow dung have been used for a source of fuel in villages for a long time.
The cow is also a source of meat, which is called Beef, in many countries and even in many parts of India. People in north-eastern ( Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram etc) and southern part of India (Goa, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Karnataka etc) eat Beef.
But in those states in India where the cow is recognized as auspicious, cow slaughter is banned. But still, India is the biggest beef export country. The cow is even useful after death.
Body skin of cow is used for leather products such as belts, leather jacket, purses etc. The cow is very useful for all of us. The cow has been a symbol of prosperity for a long time in India. In ancient time, kings used to donate numbers of cows for their grandeur.
