Khillar
Swift · Spare · Enduring
Not a Sudesi ghee
A Deccan draught breed built for speed and stamina rather than milk. She will never be one of our jars, and is worth keeping anyway.
Born of the Deccan
There will be no Khillar ghee. She is a draught breed, and a jar would mean asking her to be something she is not. She is here because a record of the desi cow that only included the ones we sell would not be a record at all.
The breed
A compact, tight-skinned grey-white frame, a long narrow face, and long horns sweeping back in a close, clean curve.
The land
The black-soil country of the Deccan plateau, across southern Maharashtra and northern Karnataka.
The people
The Khillari graziers, who have selected these cattle for draught power over many generations.
Her history
From the black-soil Deccan across southern Maharashtra and northern Karnataka. Bred by Khillari graziers for speed, and still raced and shown in her home districts.
Her milk
Very little. She is a draught animal, and we would rather say so plainly than imply a jar that will never exist.
Where she stands
Kept going largely by cultural attachment, bullock racing and local pride rather than by economics. That is a thinner thread than it sounds.