When sacred cows get vicious.

Was calmly squeezing past a cow yesterday, as one must do daily in the claustrophobic streets of Varanasi, when suddenly it pinned me up against a building and began aggressively head butting me with its horns, the third blow was so excruciating that I screamed out in pain (something I don't think I've ever done before, despite my collection of broken bones, concussions, sprains, stitches as a kid growing up), which brought the police from the Golden Temple running to me. The cow relented at this, and at first I attempted to carry on to dinner (well, I was really hungry, haha), but quickly realized the pain was too intense.

On another occasion, a few days before, a cow had shoved me, but I think it may have merely been turning its head and I was just in the wrong place at that moment. I had a backpack on that kept me from feeling anything, so it was no big deal, and I had forgotten about it until now. I like to think that was accidental or else maybe the cows are something to a little more wary of than I thought...

In the morning, before the cow head butting incident, I slipped down a ghat in pursuit of a picture and busted up my arm. If there's moss and mud and a bit of Ganges water on a ghat, I would not recommend venturing down it, it's a more slippery combination than it looks like!

Before coming to Varanasi, I'd been warned of bag slashing and theft, but apparently what I needed was warnings about cows and slippery ghats! Despite all this, I've extended my stay in Varanasi for photo taking (yes, I willingly suffer for art). This city can break my bones, but not my spirit! It makes good fodder as a writer, anyway.

What a story to tell! I am sorry for you I am a bit afraid of cows myself , I am desperate to go back to India.
You made me smile
There are not enough smilies!
I hope you are not hurt badly and feel better soon, so what sounds like an epic trip can continue

Thanks for your kind words and well wishes! I am taking it easy today, mostly resting. Please don't worry though, I think you're odds of having a cow get aggressive are quite slim, never heard of it happening to anyone else. Perhaps keep your distance from them best you can though, I certainly will be!

By the way, I totally forgot to ask in my first post, does anybody have any advice for making sure cows don't surprise ambush you? A fellow solo female traveler (instant bond right there, haha) I met at a restaurant yesterday, said sometimes the locals would hold the cow's head back for her to walk by, which isn't something I've personally seen done, but is getting hands on with a cow ever a good idea? Worst comes to worst, should I find myself at the wrong end of a cow's horns again, what's the best thing to do? I'd think fighting back, pushing on it to get away, would only make it feel threatened and challeged to a fight, and maybe get more aggressive?

You are right, but it still pays to be a little careful. There are plenty of cows in the street near my house, and mostly we take no notice, even shooing them out of the way when need be, but only the other day one cow made it clear that I should not get between her and her calf.

A sharp staccato Hey! usually moves them on.

Usually I won't even cross the road to mind a cow, but the bullocks (the big ones that pull the carts) I prefer to avoid. Mind out how you look at them!

Thankfully, Indian cows don't seem to kick much.

Some years ago we mad a city tour in Bikaner. A big cow approached me rather aggressive. Our guide had a rope, hit the cow and I was saved.
Maybe the cow did not like the red shirt I was wearing.

I work with cattle a fair bit - Devons, so they're a pretty good size and very solid. I tend to talk to them as I'm going through the herd, especially if I'm getting pretty close to them. No, I don't expect them to answer Generally, unless they're in a vile mood, if they know you're there they're pretty good about not stepping on you. They're more likely to react abruptly if they're startled, hence the talking.

It might be worth listening to what the locals say to clear the cattle out of their way as it varies from country to country, and probably region to region. Some areas use a sort of hissing sound, others a kind of guttural grunt, others again the sharper sounds like 'hey'. Using the sound the cattle are used to is more likely to be effective than a random sound.

Vonkla, I believe that cows, rather cattle, are red-green colour blind.
So dont throw your red shirt

In my UK Midlands childhood, the farmers would call, "cow-cow-cow-cow!" I have no idea what the Tamil equivalent is

They are horribly stubborn in traffic. Dogs will jump out of the way at the sound of a horn, a cow may just stand there. I remember one cow that, crossing in front of me, stopped, blocking the entire road. It turned towards me, fixed me with its stare --- raised its tail and took a long, leisurely piss. There was no question of it moving until ready

Welcome to IndiaMike, susannacoleking!

Wow, I haven't heard of this either, but now I know to watch out for cows. I wouldn't have known that squeezing past a cow could result in being head-butted by it. I'm glad that you are still excited to be in Varansi even though you had encounters with a bad cow and a slippery ghat.

Thanks for sharing these experiences with us!

One more important warning in this technical hazard of the Indian lanes is to not step carelessly while running from the cow. That soft pile is heck with sandals..

<cross-posted with Ed just now. Indeed.>

Besides a cow really turning on you (would I guess indeed have to be pretty exceptional), in those narrow alleyways in Varanasi's Old City, all it takes is for them to shake their head, the way cows may suddenly do to get rid of a fly or so, for you to have your ribs fractured, a pierced lung perhaps with some luck. It happens to people, so do be a little careful when passing them. And you know how these cows have horns not quite like y'r average European cow might have.

(Slippery ghats I don't remember so much, though stepping in fresh cow dung wearing slippers is great fun... New leather sandals can be quite slippery btw, be a little careful on them uneven pavements and marble floors and swiftly dashing across a road in full traffic etc. A friend of mine and good member here slipped on one of them stone hotel stairways, really no fun, he fell on his back and was in agony for days, and now having to get home so plenty of last-minute wobbly transport to take and stuff. Freshly mopped floors, also a good candidate. Wet bathroom floors, ditto. A girl in my guesthouse once smashed open her head on a low faucet that way.)

We stayed in Chidambaram once during a power cut and in pitch-black darkness at night, fun walking around seeing not a thing and with the occasional "mooh!" and the swishing of horns nearby.

Can't say those cows otherwise bother me, a slap on the butt will indeed usually get them moving if they're really in the way (albeit possibly quite reluctantly so, it is true. It is funny the way in traffic they just won't budge, isn't it, and everyone swerving neatly around. "Hey, this is where I lie."), maybe a bull I would indeed be more respectful of. I'm a little wary of those water buffalos, but don't think in fact one really needs to be, I suspect they're really quite docile. They're just impressive-looking. (These may well be the bullocks Nick was referring to?)

Susanna: Hope you're well on the mend! Your story is a good reminder to people.

As the Indax link in my signature aptly puts it (with regards to the possibility of falling out that open train door where you were coolly standing or sitting): "Personal safety on trains is not a serious problem but it's worth keeping in mind. There are a few dangers you won't encounter in Western trains where most ways of harming oneself have been eliminated for the benefit of the foolish. Not in India. If you want to hang out the train door, no one will stop you. If you want to race down the platform and swing aboard at the last minute, you can. In the absence of restrictions, you must learn to operate with a lot of common sense."

So ps,

In keeping with Judy's advice, I'm not that "close" with cows (my Ms. has tended them, and I did partly grow up in the countryside), but anyway I don't think they normally get very aggressive. Really quite social and docile animals. Walk by a field (in Western Europe at least) and observe how they may curiously follow you. Of course they may get startled, or indeed have a calf to defend, maybe just are in a rotten mood, whatever. (I guess I could get a little cranky living in those alleyways, stupid passersby intruding on my space all the time, etc.)

It's not a conscious thing with me, but being generally OK with animals, in India I'll often touch them when passing by them. On the back, the butt, the head, whichever. It's quite possible I'll say something while I'm at it, I wouldn't know really. "Hello, cowsie, how's it going," whatever. I guess in fact this may indeed make them aware of your presence. It will not prevent the sudden swishing of the head, though.

I guess if caught between a cow and a wall, I would indeed start firmly pushing. I don't think they'll see it as a challenge to a fight or so, they're just not that sort of animals. (Bulls you really need to be aware of, however and I suspect for that reason you don't see those a lot in the open in India, that I'm aware of. Or if so, I don't recognize them as such, and I guess they wouldn't be as aggressive. As a kid, I wouldn't cross no Dutch field with a bull in it! Cows on the other hand, no problem.) You also don't need to be squeamish about it, you don't need to start pummeling them (though I certainly might if I must), but they can take a good slap, and will be used to it, it is how they get herded, and they'll bump into each other and grow up playing more roughly than you can manage no doubt. Scream and shout while you're at it, sure. (Would indeed at least alert any bystanders, too.)

I don't know, most of these will indeed be accidents, not directed against you, as such. They're just large animals, and now with those clumsy horns. Zoo keepers know how to be aware not to get caught between an elephant or giant tortoise and such and a fence, they'll just squash you being unaware what they're doing, they mean no harm.

Of course a cow taking to head-butting you, that does sound like it was targeted. Maybe you did startle her, or she was in a bad mood, whatever. Calf nearby, indeed, who knows. I guess indeed speaking to them or a pat on the butt and so making your presence known may help. (Again, there's nothing conscious about it with me and it's not why I do it, but the brief contact will also allow you to gauge the animal's mood. If it reacts very crankily, you'll know it.) Specifically in Varanasi's Old City, I don't remember but wouldn't be surprised if there had been occasions where I just decided to take the next alley.

Good luck with it!

Yep, on occasion cows do get a bit testy! Usually they express this with a casual (yet painful) headbutt tossed your way, but I can't say I am totally surprised at your story. Just to be clear though, the kind of attack you describe is not a common occurrence so don't get freaked out. Headbutting is more common though.

Personally, I always allow space so that the cow would really have to step at me to headbutt. I've been headbutted a number of times and it hurts even when the cow isn't really "getting angry" at you properly (chasing you, etc.). I'm assuming that this headbutting tendency is at least a factor in why a fair number of cows have their horns chopped off part way or smoothed down.

If it makes you feel any better, I observe plenty of (Indian) people giving cows a nice wide berth when they go past, especially young girls. I've also seen people stop and look pretty damn nervous when trying to negotiate their way past a cow in a tight space. So don't be embarrassed about it. Take your time to pass if you feel nervous. Better to have someone chuckling at you for being afraid than to get gored and become the victim in someone's crazy-but-true story.

In terms of what to say to cows to get them to back off, in the North you will hear the hindi word हट which sounds a bit like like hut but with a harder t sound (tongue against the top of the mouth) than the English word, being shouted about in a commanding tone at any animal (usually cow or dog) that someone wants out of the way or away from them. It is the tu command form(aka the most blunt, intimate and therefore most of the time rude) of the verb हटना (sounds something like hutna, with that hard t again), and it's basically a command that means move, as in "Get out the way!" Sometimes it's accompanied by either an actual slap to the hind quarters, or a feint so that the animal thinks it might get hit. Many a sabzi wala has a dedicated cow whacking lathi for when Daisy gets too hungry and decides the vegetables look too good to leave alone! I can't tell you for sure if the animals understand, but they certainly seem to be quite familiar with the expression and often if even someone right across the street yells hut, a cow or a dog on the other side will break into a lumbering run and get out the way sharpish. Quite sad really, that they are conditioned to expect to receive a slap If you're going to use it, don't mess about - you've got to bark it out like you mean it! Pretend you're in the army and you're giving a command during a drill!

Finally, don't assume that there are only "harmless" cows on the street and no feisty bulls. The absolute worst time on my street is when the cows that hang around the rubbish heap are in heat and a bull gets wind of it. Good god those guys can get up a fair bit of speed, big as they are. Ok, so more often than not they are chasing a female, but it's all too easy to get in the way, and plus they seem to get really narked and hungry, so god help you if you're going down their way with what looks like a bag of rubbish!

Excellent write-up, Dil_Se . The head-butting reflex btw, with many animals this is just playful or affectionate behavior. (Though and with some it may as well be competitive, of course, and now certainly a part of determining rank whilst growing up, or once mature.) It starts really with the young butting their moms in the belly to find a teat, and perhaps to get the milk running. Can be impressive punches! I suspect it may also signal to the mom to start weaning them when they get too old and strong for it. You can notice them getting testy with it, and so now the young have to learn to fend for themselves.

I remember a calf my lady looked after and would need to be hand-fed, it indeed would start butting you to be fed, or as it was being fed, and of course as it grows this in fact becomes quite painful, if not just unmanageable.

Then indeed of course a mature cow and with those horns... They generally really won't be meaning no harm, but, well, they're just too large and strong for you. And they don't know it.

It's a good job our Daisy isn't reading this thread. There's quite a lot we have to steer her clear from these days