Indian animals: A white cow
Cows and bulls
Cattle were probably the most important animals in India for people. They came to India originally from Central Asia. Indian people did not eat cows, because Hindus thought of cows as sacred. But people used cows to pull carts, and for plowing fields, and also used cows’ milk to make yogurt.
Where are cattle from?
How do you make yogurt?
Early Indian plants
The Indian environment
All our India articles
Indian animals: Water buffalo
Water buffaloes
People in India also got a lot of their milk from water buffaloes. Water buffaloes were native to India and were probably domesticated there. Children (both boys and girls) often went out with the water buffaloes to take them out to their pastures and to water.
Chickens and eggs
Camel pulling a cart
Chickens reached India from Thailand or China about 2500 BC, and have been common in India since that time.
Where are chickens from?
History of sheep
Who domesticated donkeys?
Where are camels from?
Sheep and goats arrived from West Asia, and donkeys from Africa, probably about the same time. Camels, on the other hand, were not common in India until the Islamic invasions around 1000 AD.
Monkeys and deer
There were also a lot of wild animals in India. Tigers and monkeys and big snakes lived in the forests in some parts of India. There were also lots of other animals: deer, and foxes, and hares, and turtles.
More about chimpanzees
And about snakes
Baby elephants
Elephants were born in the wild, but sometimes men caught and tamed them. These elephants pulled trees for building houses, carried heavy loads, and fought in battles. People also used the ivory from elephant tusks to carve statues and make jewelry.
