Identity & Breeds of Indian Cow

Indian cow stands out when compared with its overseas counterparts. It is easy to identify Indian cow just by observing these 2 features

1. Hump: All Indian cows & bulls have hump on their back. This provides them advantage to carry more load
2. Dewlap: Indian cows develop a fold of loose skin hanging below neck. Dewlap provides high heat resistant capacity and makes desi cows & bulls sustain in all environments

Just with a simple observation of these features, one can easily identify an Indian cow and differentiate between exotic breed.

India has a rich heritage of cultivating breeds of desi cows. Different breeds of cow developed in different atmospheric & geographic conditions. They vary in some attributes or others but all of them display the characteristics of hump & dewlap.

Different breeds found in India are

Red Kandhari

This breed of cattle is found in Kanpur and Nanded district. some pockets of other districts like Ahmadpur, Parli &

Hingoli tehsil of Latur district & Bid, Parbhani districts of Marathwada region.

Khari

(Synonym Kheri, Kherimirh, Khari) This breed is closely allied to the Malvi breed & mostly Found in Lakimpur –

Khen district of U.P. but some animals are also found in admining district. Population of this breed has decreased considerable over the last few years.

Krishna Valley

(Synonym Krishna Valley) This breed being a heavy drought breed is used exclusively in the black cotton soil

of the watershed of the River Krishna. Mainly found in Solapur, Sangli and Satara districts of Maharashtra and Bijapur districts of Karnataka.

Mewati

This breed of cattle is synonymous with Kosi, Mehwati. This breed is found in the tract known as Mewat, Comprising

Alwar & Bharatpur districts of Rajsthan; Mathura, Kosi in Western U.p., Faridabad & Gurgaon districts of Haryana.

Tharparkar

Synomyms: White Sindhi, gray Sindi, Thari. This breed is an important dual-purpose breed raised for its milking

potential. Animals found in Indo-Pak border, Western Rajasthan, Rann of Kutch in Gujrat.

Vechur

This breed is found in Kerala, also available in Kasargod district. Considering the importance of this

breed to the local people, the ICAR initiated a scheme for the conservation of Vechur breed.

Nagauri

This , being reputed breed, is primarily reared for draught quality of its bullocks. Home breed lies in the Navin district

of Rajasthan in Western hulia and also in the adjoining Jodhpur district and Nokha district. Its population is decreasing at a remarkable rate since the dense used for bullocks is decreasing.

Rathi

This is important milch breed of cattle found in the western part of Rajasthan. The home tract lies in the heart

of Thar desert and includes Bikaner, Ganganagar and Jaisalmer district. These animales are different from grey-white Hariana type animals called Rathi found in Alwar region of Rajasthan.

Sahiwal

Synonyms- Lambl Bar, Lota, Multani, Montgomery, Teli. This breed is one of the important dairy breeds of zabu

cattle. Original breeding tract lies in Pakistan, but also found in Indo-Pak border in Ferozpur & Amritser(Punjab), Ganganagar(Rajasthan). It is known to have been introduced into 17 other countries besides India & Pakistan.

Shikari

(Synonyms Mandeshi, Shikari) This breed is known for the quick drought capabilities of its bullocks

and it is found in Kolhapur, Solapur, Sangli and Satara districts of Maharashtra and Belgaum, Bijapur districts of Karnataka. This breed seems to have originated from Hallikar or Amrithmahal breed of cattle.

Ongole

This breed belong to short-horned group zebus which were brought by Aryans in India more than 4000

years ago. Original stock from north-west to Indus river basin and future to Indo-Gangetic plains and towards south along Godavari, Krishna and Perunar basins. The Nallore or Ongole breed’s hardiness disease resistance and its capacity to thrive on scantly and dry fodder have been successfully manoeuver exploited improving and upgrading the local stock of Europian origins.

Deoni

Very Popular dual purpose breed of cattle from Marathvada region of Maharashtra and synonymous

with Dongerpati, Dongari, Wannera, Waghyd, Balankya & Shevera. Breed is said to have been developed from Gir cattle about 280-300 years back following their migration from Gujarat in search of fodder during scarcity periods to southern parts of country.this migration of Girs to Marathwada led to the increasing asmixture of Gir blood with local herd, contributing to Deoni breed.

Hariana

Dual purpose breed of Northern India, which was primarily reared for bullock production.This breed is one of the

most widely spread breed in the Indo-Gangetic plains. They are similar to the Gaolao, Mewati & Ongole breeds while sahabadi & Gangatiri are closely related types. Nature breeding tract encompasses large parts of Rohtak, Hissar, jind and Gurgaon districs of Haryana.They are reared & widely distributed in Jodhpur, Alwar, Lohani & Bharatpur districts of Rajsthan & Meerut, Bulandshahar, Aligarh districs of western Uttar Pradesh.

Kankrej

This breed is among the heaviest breeds of cattle in India, which plays very important role in the economy of

the region. Kankrej breed of cattle deriving its name from Kankerj part of Gujrat are mostly found in southeast Rann of Kutch comprising Mehsana, Ahmedabad, Kaira, Sabarkantha & Banashantha district of Gujarat & Badmer, Jodhpur, district of Rajasthan.

Bargur

This breed is found around Bargur hills in Bharani Taluka of Erode district, Tamilnadu.These animals are of Mysore

type, but smaller and more compact. They are very restive and fiery in disposition and difficult to train. Light in build and developed mainly for carrying our agricultural operations in the uneven and hilly terrain. Cattle of this breed are unsurpassed in speed and endurance in trotting.

Dangi

Draught Breed, synonymous with kanada, Konkani and Ghoti.Breed found in a small area of nasik and ahmednagar

district of Maharashtra including the Dang area of western ghats , hence the name ‘Dangi’. This breed has excellent working qualities in heavy rainfall areas, rice fields and hilly tracts.

Nimari

Synonyms: Khargaon, Khargoni, Khurgoni.This breed is found

in Nimar tract of Narmada valley in Madhya Pradesh comprising Khandwa, Khargon and Barwani Districts. Some animals are also found in Jalgaon district in Maharashtra. Animals are active. Bullocks are known for their drought work.

Red Sindhi

Synonyms: Malir (Baluchisthan) Red Karachi and Sindhi.This breed is mostly found in Karachi

mostly found in Karachi and Hyderabad district of Pakistan. Also found in Odisha, Tamilnadu, Bihar, Kerala & Assam states in India. This breed is originated from Las Bela cattle. Orignal herd was established at Malir outside Karachi. Red Sindhi is one of the important dairy cattle in Indian sub-continent. These cows are exported to many countries.

Umblachery

Synonyms: Jathi madu, Mottai madu, molai madu, souther, Tanjore, Therkathi madu.This breed of cattle, one of the

best breeds of Tamilnadu, is found in Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts. This breed is considered to be developed by crossing Kangayam with local animals . These are light built draught animals developed for work in the marshy paddy fields . 60-70% of cattle in this area belong to this breed. Estimated population is 283,000.

Purnea

Synonym: Purnea Small hill type breed found in the Pilibhit district of U.P., Mainakot, Mazara, Bhikhera, Faizulagani

and Rajpur Semra villages and Lakhimpur-Kheri district. This breed is maintained for drought operations. Bullocks are fast movers and good source of income to the farmers. There are many other indigenous breeds that are found in different parts of Indina.

Gir

Very good milk breed, synonymous with Bhodali, Desan, Gujarati, Kathiawari, Sorthi, Surati.World renowned breed

for its tolerance to stress conditions. Adapted to scarcity conditions for years, this breed has devloped capacity for yielding more milk with less feeding, beside having resistance to various tropical diseases.

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