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There are countries in the world where certain animals are venerated, many to the point of becoming mythological symbols of society and its traditions. In India, a place full of spirituality, certain animals are highly respected and valued because they are considered reincarnations of gods of the Hindu worldview.
According to ancient tradition, it is forbidden to kill them because they could contain the soul energy of some of the ancestors. Today's Hindu culture, both in India and around the world, continues to maintain an attachment to these ideas, especially in rural parts of the Asian country. Some of India's most beloved gods have animal qualities or are practically animal.
There are dozens of sacred animals in india, but the most popular are the elephant, the monkey, the cow, the snake and the tiger. Keep reading this PeritoAnimal article if you want to know the history of each one of them.
Ganesha, the holy elephant
The first of the sacred animals in India is the elephant, one of the most popular animals in Asia. There are two theories about its success. The best known is that the elephant comes from the God Ganesha, the god with human body and elephant head.
Legend has it that the god Shiva, leaving his home for battle, left his wife Pavarti pregnant with his child. Years later, when Shiva returned and went to see his wife, he found a man guarding the room where Parvati was bathing, the two without recognizing each other entered a battle that ended with Ganesha's decapitation. Parvati, in distress, explains to her husband that this man was her and Shiva's son and, in a desperate attempt to revive him, she went in search of a head for Ganesha and the first creature she encountered was an elephant.
From that moment, Ganesha became the god who breaks through obstacles and adversities, a symbol of good luck and fortune.
Hanuman the monkey god
just like the monkeys dance freely all over india, there is also Hanuman, its mythological version. All these animals are believed to be the living form of this god.
Hanuman is worshiped not only in India, but in almost every corner of Asia. It represents fbudget, knowledge and above all loyalty, since he is the eternal ally of both gods and men. It is said that it has supernatural and unlimited strength and that it once jumped into the sun by mistaking it for a fruit.
the sacred cow
the cow is one of the sacred animals in india because it is considered a gift from the gods. For this reason, Hindus consider it a sin to eat beef and it is totally repudiated to slaughter it. They are even more important than the Hindus themselves. Cows can be seen circling or resting silently on the streets of India.
The veneration of this animal dates back over 2000 years and is related to the abundance, fertility and motherhood. The cow was God Krishna's special envoy to earth to feed his children and establish a connection with them.
Shiva's snake
It is poisonous snake it is considered sacred because it is closely related to the deity Shiva, lord of the two superior and contradictory forces: creation and destruction. The religious stories tell that the snake was the animal that this master always wore around his neck to be protect from your enemies and from all evil.
According to another legend (one of the most popular), the snake was born from a tear of the creator god Brahma when he realized that he could not create the universe alone.
the mighty tiger
We end the list of sacred animals with the Tiger, a creature that has always seemed to us very mystical and enigmatic, in its stripes there is a special magic. This animal has always been highly appreciated in India, it is considered sacred for two fundamental aspects: first, because according to Hindu mythology, the tiger was the animal that the deity Maa Durga rode to fight in her battles, representing the victory over any negative force and second, because it is the national symbol of this country.
Tigers are considered the link between man, the earth and the animal kingdom. This bond has helped many people in India to establish better relationships with the land in which they live.
