Cows in a
Pooja Shop
Interior of Sri Surya Pooja Store
In the heartlands of the west, amidst a row of shops which cater to the nearby Hindu-Indian community, a new store has opened its doors late October. While they had only just been preparing for a few days, Sri Surya Pooja Store had already stocked with many essentials from incense, copper and brass trays and lamps, and statues of deities and holy figures. As ungulate enthusiasts, a sculpture of Kamadhenu attracted us immediately. We asked the store owners, Mdm Kalai and Mr Jai, the origins of this cow and calf sculpture and its significance culturally and to home altars.
Mdm Kalai shares with us stories of her statues
Mr Jai shows a brass sculpture of Kamadhenu and her calf.
“There are many different stories, how to say all?” laughed Mr Jai, as he unpacked merchandise. Mdm Kalai shared that there were multiple variations according to different scriptures regarding the origins of Kamadhenu.
“In one story, I was told Daksha (the lord of creation) burped her into existence”.
In most texts, Kamadhenu is known as the mother goddess of all cows, and she is also known as the cow of abundance. In ancient India, many homes used to have cows. That has changed in modern times, and presently, the statue of Surabhi (another name for Kamadhenu), and her calf, Nandini, offers the divine energy of their relationship to the home and attracts positivity.
She explained that there are many different depictions of Kamadhenu as well. Some have the head of a female human head, even human breasts or wings. Mr Jai joked that they’ll be in stock once they have properly settled into their new store.
We would like to thank Mdm Kalai and Mr Jai for sharing their time and knowledge with us.