Scientific name

Canis lupus familiaris Linn

Common name

Domestic Dog

Hindi

Kutha

Sanskrit

Kukuraha

Distribution

Throughout India

Religious association

Indra’s divine dog Sarama is mentioned in Rig Veda. Bhairava, the wandering sanyasi, a form of Lord Shiva, is usually accompanied by a dog or rides a dog that is his vehicle.

Dattatreya was the sixth (out of twenty-four) incarnations of Vishnu. He is usually accompanied by four dogs, which symbolize the four Vedas and his complete mastery over them. Khandoba is another incarnation of Lord Shiva rides a bull or a horse and is accompanied by a dog.

Several Bodhisattvas were believed to have been born as dogs.

Ahura Mazda declared, ‘No house would stand firmly founded for me on the Ahura-created earth were there not my herd dog or house dog’.

The Koran calls the saluki, a Yemenese dog, a ‘gift of Allah’, ‘alhor’ (the noble one) and ‘al-baraha’ (the blessed one).