Revered enough by Hindus to roam the streets of Jodhpur, a bull is still not as sacred as a cow, which is surrounded by a great mythic aura. An ancient Hindu verse says that he who kills, eats, or permits the slaughter of a cow will 'rot in hell for as many years as there are hairs on the body of the cow so slain.
—From "India: Fifty Years of Independence," May 1997, National Geographic magazine
Steve McCurry