The gayal or Mithun is the state animal of Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Gayals play an important role in the social life of the people in Arunachal Pradesh. Marriages are not fixed until the bridegroom's family gives at least one gayal to the bride's household.
The gayal (Bos frontalis), also known as mithun, is a large semi-domesticated bovine distributed in Northeast India,Bangladesh, northern Burma and in Yunnan, China. The gayal differs in several important particulars from the gaur. It is somewhat smaller, with proportionately shorter limbs, and stands much lower at the withers. The ridge on the back is less developed, and bulls have a larger dewlap on the throat. The head is shorter and broader, with a perfectly flat forehead and a straight line between the bases of the horns. The thick and massive horns are less flattened and much less curved than in the gaur, extending almost directly outwards from the sides of the head, and curving somewhat upwards at the tips, but without any inward inclination. Their extremities are thus much farther apart than in the gaur. The female gayal is much smaller than the bull, and has scarcely any dewlap on the throat. The skin colour of the head and body is blackish-brown in both sexes, and the lower portion of the limbs are white or yellowish. The horns are of uniform blackish tint from base to tip. Some domesticated gayals are parti-coloured, while others are completely white...The role of the mithun is central to the lives of many residents of these areas, including transhumant ones who pair mithun management with sago palm harvesting:Although livestock is highly characteristic of the high Himalayan way of life in general, with yaks and sheep being predominant species until recently, the mithun, or gayal (Bos frontalis) is the most prominent animal exploited by Eastern Himalayan groups (Figure 4). The mithun is a semi-domesticate, managed in fenced tracts of forests rather than being kept in or near villages. Outside North East India, mithun are primarily imported for the purpose of cross- breeding with other bovids, for example in Bhutan. It is very common among Eastern Himalayan languages to find lexical sets denoting fauna in which the mithun is lexicalized as a “prototypical” meat animal, with all other terms being derived. [...] Terms for ‘mithun’ in other languages of Arunachal Pradesh are typically cognate with Aka fu (e.g. Miji ʃu, Koro sù, Puroik ʧa and Proto-Tani *ɕo), suggesting that this is probably not a case of semantic shift from a wild species. The implication is that the semi-wild mithun was seen as the core species, and the true domesticates such as cattle, which arrived subsequently, as marginal to the system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayal
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Mithun in Thrissur zoo
![B4 darjeling para-5.jpg]()
Gayal near Darjeeling Para in Bandarban, Bangladesh
Such an animal was slaughtered in Arunachal Pradesh in front of Raj Bhavan.
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
January 28, 2016
![Protest after protest! BJP accuses Congress of destroying sanctity of Raj Bhawan]()
The gayal (Bos frontalis), also known as mithun, is a large semi-domesticated bovine distributed in Northeast India,Bangladesh, northern Burma and in Yunnan, China. The gayal differs in several important particulars from the gaur. It is somewhat smaller, with proportionately shorter limbs, and stands much lower at the withers. The ridge on the back is less developed, and bulls have a larger dewlap on the throat. The head is shorter and broader, with a perfectly flat forehead and a straight line between the bases of the horns. The thick and massive horns are less flattened and much less curved than in the gaur, extending almost directly outwards from the sides of the head, and curving somewhat upwards at the tips, but without any inward inclination. Their extremities are thus much farther apart than in the gaur. The female gayal is much smaller than the bull, and has scarcely any dewlap on the throat. The skin colour of the head and body is blackish-brown in both sexes, and the lower portion of the limbs are white or yellowish. The horns are of uniform blackish tint from base to tip. Some domesticated gayals are parti-coloured, while others are completely white...The role of the mithun is central to the lives of many residents of these areas, including transhumant ones who pair mithun management with sago palm harvesting:Although livestock is highly characteristic of the high Himalayan way of life in general, with yaks and sheep being predominant species until recently, the mithun, or gayal (Bos frontalis) is the most prominent animal exploited by Eastern Himalayan groups (Figure 4). The mithun is a semi-domesticate, managed in fenced tracts of forests rather than being kept in or near villages. Outside North East India, mithun are primarily imported for the purpose of cross- breeding with other bovids, for example in Bhutan. It is very common among Eastern Himalayan languages to find lexical sets denoting fauna in which the mithun is lexicalized as a “prototypical” meat animal, with all other terms being derived. [...] Terms for ‘mithun’ in other languages of Arunachal Pradesh are typically cognate with Aka fu (e.g. Miji ʃu, Koro sù, Puroik ʧa and Proto-Tani *ɕo), suggesting that this is probably not a case of semantic shift from a wild species. The implication is that the semi-wild mithun was seen as the core species, and the true domesticates such as cattle, which arrived subsequently, as marginal to the system. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayal
Mithun in Thrissur zoo
Gayal near Darjeeling Para in Bandarban, Bangladesh
Such an animal was slaughtered in Arunachal Pradesh in front of Raj Bhavan.
S. Kalyanaraman
Sarasvati Research Center
January 28, 2016
Protest after protest! BJP accuses Congress of destroying sanctity of Raj Bhawan
ITANAGAR, Dec 18: The Arunachal Pradesh BJP, in its strongest terms, has condemned the brutal slaughtering of Mithun at the entry gate of Raj Bhawan here late evening of Dec 17 (Thursday) allegedly by the Congress workers and leaders in presence of senior Ministers including the Home Minister and senior officers of State Police.
The BJP claimed that the scandalous act occurred at the full knowledge of State administration is a matter of serious concern and termed it as barbaric for meting out brutality to the State animal.
This has broken the very sanctity of the Raj Bhawan of the State as well as breached the customs and conventions of the tribal rites and rituals, remarked BJP spokesperson Techi Necha in a press release here today.
He said the BJP also vehemently condemned the unbecoming and animistic behaviour exposed before the Governor by Council of the Ministers during an official appointment by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, breaking ethics, protocol and decency at Raj Bhawan on Dec 15.
The unruly behaviour committed by the persons in such stature on the constitutional head of state, and that also where the Chief Minister himself was present at the spot certainly reflected what type of persons are in the responsible public offices, which also exposed immunity enjoyed by Tuki govt&hellipin the fight for political supremacy between two factions in the ruling Congress, Necha alleged.
The BJP also expressed its anguish at last evening's protests on the National Highway-415 that led to halting of traffic movement between Naharlagun and Itanagar and burning down of vehicles allegedly by the Congress workers. Such acts and indulgence of the ruling Congress is against the democratic spirit, principles and values as they themselves took the law in their hand, the BJP spokesperson added.
The BJP claimed that the scandalous act occurred at the full knowledge of State administration is a matter of serious concern and termed it as barbaric for meting out brutality to the State animal.
This has broken the very sanctity of the Raj Bhawan of the State as well as breached the customs and conventions of the tribal rites and rituals, remarked BJP spokesperson Techi Necha in a press release here today.
He said the BJP also vehemently condemned the unbecoming and animistic behaviour exposed before the Governor by Council of the Ministers during an official appointment by Chief Minister Nabam Tuki, breaking ethics, protocol and decency at Raj Bhawan on Dec 15.
The unruly behaviour committed by the persons in such stature on the constitutional head of state, and that also where the Chief Minister himself was present at the spot certainly reflected what type of persons are in the responsible public offices, which also exposed immunity enjoyed by Tuki govt&hellipin the fight for political supremacy between two factions in the ruling Congress, Necha alleged.
The BJP also expressed its anguish at last evening's protests on the National Highway-415 that led to halting of traffic movement between Naharlagun and Itanagar and burning down of vehicles allegedly by the Congress workers. Such acts and indulgence of the ruling Congress is against the democratic spirit, principles and values as they themselves took the law in their hand, the BJP spokesperson added.