I though this photo pretty much perfectly sums up the town of Pushkar in the Indian state of Rajasthan: cows and demands on our money. To be fair, this donation box is obviously not aimed at foreign tourists and all cows have a tendency to look evil and angry when they stare straight into the camera, but I still found it fitting.
As one of the five sacred pilgrimage sites for Hindus, Pushkar has naturally become quite popular with foreign tourists as well. As is always the case, this has attracted countless scammers, especially around the lake in the center of town, which you can’t even approach these days without demands for fees and donations for blessings, charities, prayers for family members, taking photos, looking at stuff and breathing. For more on that, check out the article on Wikitravel, especially the section on scams.
On my recent trip to India I was surprised to see huge trucks filled with hay brought into the major cities to feed these sacred cows. I’d thought they were left to fend for themselves by eating garbage, which many of them do, but mostly their food was a government subsidy.
I also thought they survived on whatever cardboard they could find lying around and the kindness of locals, in the same way stray cats are often given a saucer of milk elsewhere in the world. I had no idea Indian cows were just a bunch of freeloading socialists living off the government.
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Braving the Jungles of Koh Phangan to Discover a Secluded Beach
Cows are everywhere. No matter where you go in India, you’ll see them everywhere. Nice to know that Pushkar is becoming popular among foreign tourists as well.
Shalu Sharma recently contributed to world literature by posting..My Talk Radio Interview with Hannah Murray about Indian breakfast
I’m not sure if Pushkar becoming more popular is necessarily a good thing. I imagine it must be quite annoying for Hindus who go there on a pilgrimage.
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Four Simple Ways to Go Broke In Beijing
Aww he looks so cute when he’s angry! I have many cow shots in India, but nothing as well-taken as this 😀
Aleah | SolitaryWanderer.com recently contributed to world literature by posting..We Go Solo: Solo Travel Planning Tips for Women
Thanks. I have a ton of cow photos from India, too, but for some reason, almost all of those cows look angry. I think they just didn’t like me very much.
Daniel McBane recently contributed to world literature by posting..Danba in Western Sichuan: A Tibetan City I was Actually Allowed to Visit