India has introduced a nationwide “cow science” exam to “infuse curiosity” about the bovine, according to officials, in the latest promotional push by the country’s Hindu-nationalist government that ...

NEW DELHI — Indian students were hitting the books hard in preparation for a big test on cows, reading that India’s cows have more emotions than foreign ones, and that their humps have special powers.

These are enchanting images that captivate social media: miniature cows so small they roam the house like cats and even lie on the bed. The photos come from India, where the Punganur breed is native.

SIX COWS munch on dry grass in a barn in Vajeghar, a village some five hours from Mumbai. Ajay Shilimkar, a dairy farmer, beams as he introduces them to your correspondent. One, named Laali, is his ...

For centuries, cows have been considered sacred by India’s majority Hindu population, a symbol of both the Earth and the divine. Indeed, so revered are the animals that authorities had planned to ...