History of India, c. 150 A.D. to 350 A.D.: Naga–Vakataka Imperial Period c14.s5.51

c14.s5.51

51. In the next big period, i.e. the Guptan, we find a sudden change in a social matter. Bull and cow are declared in Gupta inscriptions to be sacred and not to be killed. The beginning of this cult is probably to be dated in the Nāga period. The Kushans used to kill bulls and cows.² The Bhāraśivas had the bull as their sacred symbol, with which they identified themselves. With them the sacredness of the bull probably became universal in their empire, punctuating the difference of their age from the last political period when the bull was freely slaughtered for the kitchen of the Kushans. In the Gupta period, the kings take pride in being protectors of the bull and cow, emphasizing the character of their own rule as contrasted with that of the Kushans. The foundations of modern Hinduism were laid by the Nāga Emperors and that edifice was reared by the Vākāṭakas and elaborated by the Guptas.