The cow is considered next to a mother, as little children and the people in general are fed by the milk of a cow. Some women among high class Hindus take a vow not to take their meals before worshipping the cow, and when the cow is not available for worship, they draw in turmeric, white or red powder the cow's foot-prints and worship the same. At the completion of the vow it is worshipped, and then given as a gift to a Bráhman. It is considered very meritorious to give a Gopradán--a gift of a cow along with its calf--to a Bráhman. The sight of a cow in the morning is believed by all Hindus to be auspicious. The bullock is respected by the people as it is the favourite vehicle of the god Shiva, and is very useful for agricultural purposes. The Nandi or bull is worshipped by Hindus. The bullock is specially worshipped on the 12th day of the bright half of Kártika. When performing the funeral rites of the dead, a bull is worshipped and set free. The bull thus set free is considered sacred by the people, and is never used again for agricultural or any other domestic purposes. In order to avoid calamities arising from the influence of inauspicious planets, Hindus worship the she-buffalo, and offer it as a gift to a Bráhman. The she-buffalo is compared with the Kál Purusha or the god of Death, the reason being that Yama is believed to ride a buffalo. The Bráhman who accepts this gift has to shave his moustaches and to undergo a certain penance. The cowherds sometimes worship the she-buffalo. As it is the vehicle of Yama, the buffalo is specially worshipped by people when an epidemic occurs in a village. In certain villages in the Konkan districts the buffalo is worshipped and sacrificed on the same day. The horse is the vehicle of the deity Khandoba of Jejuri. It is worshipped on the Vijaya Dashami or the Dasara holiday as in former days, on the occasion of the horse sacrifice or Ashwamedha. The elephant is the vehicle of the god Indra and is specially worshipped on the Dasara day. It is also believed that there are eight sacred elephants posted at the eight directions. These are called Ashtadik-Pálas, i.e., the protectors of the eight different directions, and they are worshipped along with other deities on auspicious ceremonial occasions, like weddings, thread-girding, etc. The deer and the tiger are considered to be holy by Hindus, and their skins are used by Bráhmans and ascetics while performing their austerities. The deer skin is used on the occasion of thread girding. A small piece of the deer skin is tied to the neck of the boy along with the new sacred thread. The mouse, being the vehicle of the god Ganpati, is worshipped along with that deity on the Ganesh Chaturthi day, the fourth day of the bright half of Bhádrapada. The goat is believed to be holy for sacrificial purposes. It is worshipped at the time of its sacrifice, which is performed to gain the favour of certain deities.