Kamdhenu Cow & Calf — 3 Inch

A Kamdhenu cow with her calf, cast in German Silver and finished by hand — chased saddle, a red thread and a working bell at the neck, a red stone set on the brow, and the calf standing beneath her on a latticed platform over a carved floral base.

Read this before you order: it is small

3 inches across and 2 inches tall. It sits in the palm of your hand. That is the right size for a mandir shelf, a puja almirah, an entrance console or a desk — it is not a centrepiece, and it is not a floor idol. We would rather tell you now than have you open the box expecting something twice the size.

Who Kamdhenu is

Kamdhenu is the wish-fulfilling cow — kama, desire, and dhenu, the cow that gives. In most tellings she rose from the samudra manthan, the churning of the ocean, and she is described as the mother of all cattle. She is the reason the cow stands for abundance in Indian households rather than for livestock.

The calf matters as much as she does. Kamdhenu is almost never shown alone: the cow with her calf is the image of giving that does not run out — which is exactly why it is the figure people hand over when someone starts a new home, a new business or a new marriage.

Where people keep it

Vastu practice puts the cow and calf in the north or north-east, or in the living room facing into the house. In practice most of our customers keep it in the mandir, next to the framed photographs, and bring it out to the centre at Diwali and Gopashtami.

What to look at

• The saddle — chased by hand, a raised scroll at the centre inside a field of beaded dots. Look closely and the dots are not perfectly even. That is a chisel, not a die.
• The calf — fully modelled underneath her, standing free of the body rather than moulded flat against it.
• The brow — a red stone, set. It is a stone, not a ruby, and we will not call it one.
• The bell — on a red thread at the neck, and it does ring.
• The base — a scalloped floral apron under a latticed platform, finished on all four sides. It reads from behind as well as from the front.

Size

• Width — 3 inch across the base
• Height — 2 inch to the top of the horns
• One piece. The cow, calf and base do not separate.

Material and care

German Silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. There is no silver in it — the name describes the colour, not the content, which is why a piece with this much hand-work on it costs what it costs.

It will darken over a few months, and it will darken first in the recesses of the chasing. That is tarnish, not damage — and on a piece like this a little darkness in the low points is what makes the pattern read. Wipe the raised surfaces with a dry cotton cloth and leave the recesses alone. Do not scrub it and do not use metal polish on the beaded work; you will flatten the detail you paid for. The care guide has the full method.

Keep the red thread dry. If it ever frays, any pooja thread replaces it.

In the box

• One Kamdhenu cow and calf, German Silver, on its carved base
• Red velvet gift box with a brass clasp

Price includes GST. Prepaid only — we do not offer cash on delivery. Dispatched within 48 hours, shipped anywhere in India. Free shipping above Rs 1,999.