Holy cows of Kathmandu

Kathmandu, Bagmati, Nepal
October 28, 2008

A woman worships a cow on Gai Puja at Pashupatinath.

Kathmandu was once a green and quiet city. The holy cows that roam the streets are the remains of more rural and less hastily past times.

The cow is holy in Hindu religion. Still people worship cows on religious occasions to wish for a prosperous future. In return the cows don’t receive much respect.

Many households in the city keep cows for milk. Since it is illegal to kill a cow, owners release the animals once they get old.

They end up interfering with traffic, causing fatal accidents and block regular vehicular movement of an already congested road network.

© 2008 Tom Van Cakenberghe
All rights reserved.

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