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History 8 India Ancient India Workbook

19. This photo shows bullocks being honored during a South Indian rice‐harvest festival. How does this suggest links between Hindu religion and India’s long agrarian past? What does this photo suggest about Hinduism and its relationship to India’s villages and traditional culture?

One of the key ingredients for a civilization is the abundance of food, and the most efficient way of getting food is by farming. Because bullocks are large, strong animals, they are necessary in order to plow fields and transport crops. The citizens of ancient India realized the significance of this animal and decided to, in a way, deify them. India's long agrarian past has been affecting Hinduism for centuries and in one legend of the Vedas, the bullock was sent by Shiva to help the humans with the arduous task of farming. Also the agrarian past has created festivals dedicated farming such as Lohri, the harvest festival in January. The photo also portrays the importance of farmers and small town villages because these small villages are most likely where bullocks are found. Hinduism by recognizing the importance of animals like the bullock and creating festivals for the farmers benefits small villages, where the traditional culture of india began, by praising the inhabitants.

More information: http://www.traveliteindia.com/content/festivals.aspx

Sources: CF Manual pp. 174

Gregory Estrera