The following animals, birds and insects are respected by the Hindus:—The cow, bullock, she-buffalo, horse, elephant, tiger, deer, mouse, goat, ants and alligators; and among the birds the following are held sacred:—Peacock, swan, eagle and kokil or cuckoo.

Of all the animals the cow is considered to be the most sacred by Hindus. It is generally worshipped daily in the morning for the whole year, or at least for the ChÁturmÁs or four months beginning from the 11th day of the bright half of AshÁdha to the 11th day of the bright half of the month of KÁrtika; and a special worship is offered to it in the evening on the 12th day of the dark half of Ashvin (October).

The cow is believed to be the abode of all the deities and rishis. It is compared with the earth in its sacredness, and it is considered that when it is pleased it is capable of giving everything required for the maintenance of mankind, and for this reason it is styled the KÁma Dhenu or the giver of desired objects. It is said that a person who walks round the cow at the time of its delivery obtains the punya or merit of going round the whole earth. The cow is even worshipped by the god Vishnu.

The cow is considered next to a mother, as little children and the people in general are fed by the milk of a cow. Some women among high class Hindus take a vow not to take their meals before worshipping the cow, and when the cow is not available for worship, they draw in turmeric, white or red powder the cow’s foot-prints and worship the same. At the completion of the vow it is worshipped, and then given as a gift to a BrÁhman. It is considered very meritorious to give a GopradÁn—a gift of a cow along with its calf—to a BrÁhman. The sight of a cow in the morning is believed by all Hindus to be auspicious.

The bullock is respected by the people as it is the favourite vehicle of the god Shiva, and is very useful for agricultural purposes. The Nandi or bull is worshipped by Hindus. The bullock is specially worshipped on the 12th day of the bright half of KÁrtika. When performing the funeral rites of the dead, a bull is worshipped and set free. The bull thus set free is considered sacred by the people, and is never used again for agricultural or any other domestic purposes.

In order to avoid calamities arising from the influence of inauspicious planets, Hindus worship the she-buffalo, and offer it as a gift to a BrÁhman. The she-buffalo is compared with the KÁl Purusha or the god of Death, the reason being that Yama is believed to ride a buffalo. The BrÁhman who accepts this gift has to shave his moustaches and to undergo a certain penance. The cowherds sometimes worship the she-buffalo. As it is the vehicle of Yama, the buffalo is specially worshipped by people when an epidemic occurs in a village. In certain villages in the Konkan districts the buffalo is worshipped and sacrificed on the same day.

The horse is the vehicle of the deity Khandoba of Jejuri. It is worshipped on the Vijaya Dashami or the Dasara holiday as in former days, on the occasion of the horse sacrifice or Ashwamedha.

The elephant is the vehicle of the god Indra and is specially worshipped on the Dasara day. It is also believed that there are eight sacred elephants posted at the eight directions. These are called Ashtadik-PÁlas, i.e., the protectors of the eight different directions, and they are worshipped along with other deities on auspicious ceremonial occasions, like weddings, thread-girding, etc.

The deer and the tiger are considered to be holy by Hindus, and their skins are used by BrÁhmans and ascetics while performing their austerities. The deer skin is used on the occasion of thread girding. A small piece of the deer skin is tied to the neck of the boy along with the new sacred thread.

The mouse, being the vehicle of the god Ganpati, is worshipped along with that deity on the Ganesh Chaturthi day, the fourth day of the bright half of BhÁdrapada.

The goat is believed to be holy for sacrificial purposes. It is worshipped at the time of its sacrifice, which is performed to gain the favour of certain deities.

The ass is generally considered as unholy by the Hindus, and its mere touch is held to cause pollution. But certain lower class Hindus like the LonÁris consider it sacred, and worship it on the Gokul Ashtami day (8th day of the dark half of ShrÁwan).

The dog is believed to be an incarnation of the deity Khandoba, and it is respected as the favourite animal of the god DattÁtraya. But it is not touched by high class Hindus.

It is considered a great sin to kill a cat.

All domestic animals are worshipped by the Hindus on the morning of the first day of MÁrgashirsha (December).

On this day the horns of these animals are washed with warm water, painted with red colours, and a lighted lamp is passed round their faces. They are feasted on this day as it is considered to be the gala day (DivÁli holiday) of the animals.

Hindus consider it meritorious to feed ants and fish, and to throw grain to the birds. Ants are fed by the people scattering sugar and flour on the ant-hills. It is believed that, by feeding the ants with sugar or flour, a person obtains the Punya or merit of sahasrabhojan, i.e., of giving a feast to a thousand BrÁhmans.

Alligators are worshipped as water deities by the Hindus.

The peacock is the favourite vehicle of Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning, and it is therefore respected by the people.

The swan is the vehicle of Brahma, the god of creation.

The eagle is the vehicle of the god Vishnu, and is a favourite devotee of that deity. It is therefore held sacred by Hindus.

The cuckoo or Kokil is believed to be an incarnation of the goddess PÁrwati. This bird is specially worshipped by high caste Hindu women for the period of one month on the occasion of a special festival called the festival of the cuckoos, or Kokila vrata, which is held in the month of AshÁdha at intervals of twenty years.

The crow is generally held inauspicious by Hindus, but as the manes or pitras are said to assume the form of crows, these birds are respected in order that they may be able to partake of the food offered to the dead ancestors in the dark half of BhÁdrapada called Pitrupaksha.

It is necessary that the oblations given in performance of the funeral rites on the tenth day after the death of a person should be eaten by the crow. But if the crow refuses to touch these oblations, it is believed that the soul of the dead has not obtained salvation; and hence it is conjectured that certain wishes of the dead have remained unfulfilled. The son or the relatives of the dead then take water in the cavity of their right hand, and solemnly promise to fulfil the wishes of the dead. When this is done, the crow begins to eat the food.

The harsh sound of a crow is taken as a sure sign of an impending mishap.

The dog, cat, pig, ass, buffalo, rat, bhÁlu, an old female jackal, lizard, and the birds cock, crow, kite, vulture, owl, bat, and pingla are considered as unholy and inauspicious by Hindus.