India's unique bovine beauty pageant Published duration 9 May 2016

media caption India's bovine beauties

Hundreds of cows and bulls walked the ramp over the weekend in the northern Indian city of Rohtak in a unique beauty pageant.

The event was organised by the local government to promote domestic cattle breeds and raise awareness about animal rights.

More than 600 cows and bulls participated in the event and the owner of the winning cow took home the prize money of 250,000 rupees (£2,500;$3,600).

image copyright AP

Farmers came from several districts of Haryana state with their cows and bulls for the event and took pride in walking the animals on the ramp.

image copyright AP

While most cows and bulls were elegant and walked swiftly on the ramp, other had to be prodded to finish the walk.

image copyright AP

The bulls were judged on their size, overall looks and the length of their horns. The cows were judged for their looks and their milk-yielding capacity.

image copyright Manoj Dhaka

The Agriculture Minister of Haryana, OP Dhankar, gave the prize to the owner of the winning cow. Only indigenous breeds were allowed to participate in the contest to make them popular among local farmers.

image copyright Manoj Dhaka

And there is always some time for selfies. The students of International Institute of Veterinary Education and Research, where the pageant was organised, took pictures with the winners.