In ancient Vedic texts, the cow appears as “Kamdhenu” which fulfils all desires. Its horns symbolize the gods, its four legs the “Vedas” and its udder, the four objectives of life, including material wealth, desire, righteousness and salvation.

1. Amritmahal

  • This breed was developed from a herd established by the ruler of Mysore state between 1572 and 1636 AD
  • The breed is usually Grey in colour but the colour varies from white to almost black
  • This is a famous draught breed known for its power and endurance and animals are fiery and active

2. Bachaur

  • Bachaur is draught breed of Bihar which also known as “Bhutia”
  • The breed has very close similarity to the Hariana breed
  • Common colours of Bachaur cattle is grey or greyish white
  • Bachaur animals are mainly reared by Koir and Ahir communities in the breeding tract

3. Baraguru

  • Baraguru is a draught cattle breed found around Bargur hills in Bhavani taluk of Erode district of Tamil Nadu
  • Is brown in  colour with white markings over the body
  • These are reared by local tribal labourers called “Lingaiys” in forest area in semi-wild conditions

4. Dangi

  • Dangi breed is also known as “Kandadi”
  • The breeding tract of Dangi breed includes the Dangs district of Thane, Nasik, Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra
  • Dangi cattle have distinct white coat colour with red or black spots distributed unevenly over the body
  • The skin exudes oily secretion which protects them from heavy rain

5. Deoni

  • The breed developed its name from the place of origin i.e. Deoni taluk of Latur district in Maharashtra
  • The breed is also known as “Surti”, “Dongarpati”, “Dongri”, “Wannera”, “Waghyd”, “Balankya” and “Shevera”
  • Body colour is usually spotted black and white
  • Deoni bullocks are preferred for heavy works and bullocks can effectively be used even up to 12 years of age

6. Gir

  • The breed is also known as “Bhodali”, “Desan”, “Gujarati”, “Kathiawari”, “Sorthi”, and “Surati”
  • The breeding tract of the breed includes Saurashtra region of Gujarat
  • Gir is named after Gir forest, the geographical area of origin of the breed
  • Due to their special qualities, animals of this breed have been imported by countries like Brazil, USA, Venezuela and Mexico

7. Hallikar

  • Also known as “Mysore”,  the breed is considered as best draught breed of Southern India
  • It is white to light grey in colour
  • Young breeding bulls have dark shades on shoulder and hindquarters
  • The animals are maintained in semi-intensive management system by professional breeders

8. Hariana

  • The breed was earlier known as ‘Hisar’ and ‘Hansi’ according to their place of origin
  • Hariana is one of the most prominent dual purpose cattle breed of Indo Gangetic plain and named according to the breeding tract of the breed (Haryana state)
  • Typically, the breed is white or light grey coloured with coffin shaped skull

9. Kangayam

  • Kangayam is a drought breed of Tamilnadu which also known as “Kanganad” and “Kongu”
  • This breed derives its name from its habitat – Kangayam taluk of Erode district
  • The breed is usually of grey or white in color.  Coat is red at birth, but changes to grey at about 6 months of age

10. Kankrej

  • Kankrej cattle are also known as  “Wadad” or “Waged”, “Vagadia”, “Talabda”, “Nagar”, “Bonnai”
  • It takes its name from the name of geographical area i.e. Kankrej taluka of Banaskantha district in Gujarat
  • The unique characteristics like resistant to tick fever, heat stress, very little incidence of contagious abortion and tuberculosis made Kankrej a very popular one among these countries

11. Kasaragod

  • Kasaragod is a breed of cattle in Kerala
  • They originated in the mountain range of Kasaragod district
  • The cows are known for their excellent milking ability and give mineral rich milk with high feed to milk ratio
  • The cattle require almost zero inputs and can be free ranged

12. Kenkatha

  •  Also known as “Kenwaria”, the breeding tract comprises Tikamgarh district of Madhya Pradesh
  • Kenkatha breed  is maintained mainly for draught purpose  and are very popular for light draught on road and for cultivation
  • They varying in colour from grey on the barrel to dark grey on rest of the body
  • The horns emerge from the outer angles of the poll in forward direction and end in sharp points

13. Kherigarh

  • The breed is also known by various names like “Kheri”, “Kharigarh” and “Khari”
  • Kherigarh is a draught purpose breed and the breeding tract includes “Kheri” district of Uttar Pradesh
  • Kherigarh have white coat colour. Some animals have grey colour distributed all over the body, especially on face
  • The animals of this breed are small but active

14. Krishna-Valley

  • Krishna Valley breed is a draught breed used extensively in the black cotton soil in the watershed of Krishna River
  • This breed originated in Maharashtra
  • The common colour is grey – white with a darker shade on fore & hindquarters in males
  • Its massive body and distinct bulging forehead can easily identify this breed

15. Khillari

  • Is a draught breed and bullocks are known for quick draught capability
  • This breed is believed to have originated from Hallikar or Amritmahal breed of cattle
  • The typical Khillari is compact and tight skinned, with clean cut features
  • The breeding tract of this breed is Belgaum, Bijapur, Dharwad, Gulbarga, Bangalkote district of Karnataka

16. Malenadu-Gidda

  • Malnad Gidda is also known as “Gidda”, “Uradana” and “Varshagandhi”
  • The breeding tract of this breed includes Chikmagalur, Kodagu, Shimoga, Uttar Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka
  • The predominant coat colour is black with light shades of fawn on thigh and shoulder region
  • They are small with compact body frame and adult animals are around 90 centimetres tall

17. Malvi

  • Malvi is named after its place of origin viz. “Malwa” region
  • The breeding tract includes Rajgarh, Shajapur, Ratlam and Ujjain districts of Madhya Pradesh
  • Malvi cattle are white or white greyish – darker in males, with neck, shoulders, hump and quarters almost black
  • The animals are well known for quick transportation, endurance and ability to carry heavy load on rough roads

18. Mewati

  • Mewati, also known as “Kosi” or “Mehwati”, is a draught purpose breed
  • The breeding tyract includes Gurgaon and Faridabad districts of Haryana
  • Mewati cattle are usually white with neck, shoulders and quarters of a darker shade
  • Mewati cattle are powerful and docile, and are useful for heavy ploughing, carting and drawing water from deep wells

19. Nagori

  • The breed takes its name from the name of the home tract
  • The breeding tract of Nagori breed is Bikaner, Jodhpur and Nagaur district of Rajasthan
  • Nagori cattle are fine, big, upstanding, active and docile, with white and grey colour
  • They are famous as trotters and are used all over Rajputana of Rajasthan in light iron-wheeled carts for quick transportation

20. Nimari

  • Nimari, also known as “Khargaon”, “Khargoni” and “Khurgoni”
  • Nimari is a prominent draught breed of central India named after its place of origin (Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh)
  • It is red in colour with large white splashes and possesses massive body, convex forehead
  • The animals are maintained chiefly for agricultural operations with occasional use in transportation

21. Ongole

  • Ongole is a prominent dual purpose breed of Andhra Pradesh
  • The breed is also known as “Nellore” as the Ongole area was earlier in Nellore district
  • The breed has glossy white coat colour. Males possess dark markings on head, neck and hump and black points on knees
  • Breed can be identified visibly by its majestic gait, stumpy horns and large fan shaped and fleshy dewlap

22. Ponwar

  • Ponwar, a draught breed of cattle from North India, It is also known as “Purnea”
  • Its breeding tract is the Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh
  • There is no particular pattern but black and white patches are intermixed
  • Bullocks are fast movers and therefore used both for agricultural operations and transportation

23. Rathi

  • Rathi is an important milch breed of cattle found in the arid regions of Rajasthan
  • The Breeding tract of this breed lies in the heart of Thar Desert consisting of Bikaner and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan
  • The animals are usually brown with white patches all over the body, but animals having completely brown or black coat with white patches are also seen
  • Rathi cows are efficient and good milkers

24. Red-Kandhari

  • Originated from Kandhar tehsil in Nanded district of Maharashtra
  • Red Kandhari is also known as “Lakhalbunda”
  • The colour is uniform deep dark red, but variations from a dull red to almost brown are also found
  • The bullocks are used for heavy agricultural work like ploughing and carting as well as for transportation

25. Red-Sindhi

  • Red Sindhi is a reputed heat tolerant milch cattle breed originating from Sindh province of Pakistan
  • The breed is also known as “Malir”, “Red Karachi” and “Sindhi”
  • The breed is of distinct red colour and darker than Sahiwal. Red shades vary from dark red to dim yellow but most commonly, the animals are dark red
  • In India, the animals of this breed are not available in field condition

26. Sahiwal

  • The breed derives its name from Sahiwal area in Montgomery district of Punjab in Pakistan
  • These animals are also known as “Lambi Bar”, “Lola”, “Montgomery”, “Multani” and “Teli”
  • The cows are brownish red in colour; shades may vary from a mahogany red brown to more greyish red
  • A large herd of Sahiwal cows is maintained by National Dairy Research Institute,  Karnal in Haryana

27. Siri

  • Siri is a small sized draught purpose breed of hilly region of West Bengal and Sikkim
  • The breed is also known as “Trahbum”
  • The breed is either black or brown with white patches, though totally black or brown animals are also available
  • The males are mainly reared for draught purpose in the hilly area and sometimes they are the only source of draught power

28. Tharparkar

  • Tharparkar (named after the Thar Desert in Rajasthan) is a dual purpose and disease resistant cattle breed
  • The breed is also known as “White Sindhi”, “Grey Sindhi” and “Thari” as per the place of its actual origin (Sind, Pakistan)
  • The breed is medium sized compact with white and light grey coloured coat
  • The animals can thrive well on small bushy vegetation (Sewan grass) during drought and fodder scarcity condition

29. Umblachery

  •  It derives its name from a small village in Tamil Nadu (Umblachery) considered as native tract of the breed
  • It is also known as “Jathimadu”, “Mottaimadhu”, “Molaimadhu”, “Southern”, “Tanjore” and “Therkuthimadhu”
  • Males are dark grey with black extremities whereas cows are grey with light dark grey area in face, neck and hip regions
  • This breed is suitable for ploughing, carting, threshing and levelling in marshy paddy fields because of its medium size

30. Vechur

  •  It is known by the name of a place Vechur – a small place in Kottayam district of South Kerala
  • It is considered to the smallest cattle breed in the world
  • The animals are light red, black or fawn and white in colour
  • The animals are well adapted to the hot and humid climate of the area
by Dwarkadhish Das
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