Holy Cow?
The media (and educational material used in schools outside of India) is quick to note that Hindus consider cows as sacred. That is true, but it doesn’t stop there. Hinduism is rich in symbolism, and many things are considered sacred, ranging from all living things, to rivers, hills, space, time, language, mathematics, music, etc.
Rituals that celebrate reverence of Nature (or rather the underlying Reality/Essence of all things) are common across many Hindu traditions. The cow just happens to be one such representative of the later.
The cow being a relatively docile animal is symbolic of abundance and non-violence – not too different from the way the American bald eagle is to the USA symbolic of commitment to freedom and strength.
Also, while the cow, like many things in Hinduism, is considered sacred, it is inaccurate to say Hindus are cow worshippers. There are not many temples where the cow is the main temple deity. In fact any cow symbols are fixed outside the garbha graha (the center where the temple’s main deity is housed), and looking in the direction of the deity. In this particular regard, the cow being used to represent humility and servitude [toward God]. For example, the cow/bull (Nandi) serving Shiva, or the peacock serving Murugan, or the kite Guradu serving Vishnu, or that Meenakshi is always shown with parrot, or the crow that accompanies Shani, or the dog that accompanies Bhairavar.
{FYI, Hindu culture believes that god reveals Him/Her/Itself to different people in different ways, by different names and forms (including formless), such as Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Meenakshi, Murugan, Kali, etc. (i.e. not just Christ or Allah, but allowing for many more expressions of faith). Hindus consider God as immanent and transcendent.}
Temples do maintain cows in their temple grounds, as also elephants, peacocks, and parrots to name a few other popular animals; not to mention plants like the neem tree, basil, turmeric, sandalwood (other cultures/faiths such as Christians also have the practice of keeping what they considered as sacred or auspicious plants in the vicinity of their monasteries).
But why is it that the cow of all animals gained popularity? While various animals, plants, elements (earth, wind, fire, space, mind) sun, moon, stars, etc, all have their mention, there is disproportionate mention of cows. How the cow attained special status maybe traced to its its utility in the past (and even today): milk, ghee, yogurt, cowdung (dried cow dung rich is widely used in place of wood burning fuel, producing a blue gas flame, and is widely used as organic fertilizer), for plowing and for transport (of material and people) as bullock carts, hardworking, loyal, and even domesticated. If one were to consider the dog as man’s best friend, the cow was much more than that to a villager/farmer in India, as it was also a priceless asset to a family or to the village – even more so in a time period a few thousand years ago when the population of India was no more than a few million. Also, the cow, at that time in India, was the most visible symbol of compassion in the animal kingdom – that of the nurturing mother (it’s hard to not take notice of how a cow so carefully tenders its calf; and of how the calf stays within close vicinity of its mother).
I hope this answers the question about whether Hindus are “cow worshippers”, and why cows in particular had greater symbolic significance, and of how this has been misrepresented in the West, and how there is nothing holy about cows in particular, but all of existence.