Despite the fact that the cow is the Hindu symbol for maternity, with all of the emotional baggage that comes with it, the connections with bulls are not nearly as strong.
The bull is linked with the deity Shiva in religious contexts since his animal vehicle is the bull Nandi, who is always seen guarding the entrance to Shiva's temples.
Adult bulls were, of course, a tiny proportion of the overall cow population in pre-modern times, since most young bulls were castrated to produce the oxen that were necessary agricultural labor animals.
