In India, where Hindus have long worshipped cows as sacred, cow dung cakes have been used for centuries for fires, whether for heating, cooking or Hindu rituals. Across rural India, piles of drying cow dung are ubiquitous.
在印度,印度教徒長期以來都將牛視為圣物,在長達幾個世紀的時間里,不論是取暖、做飯或是舉行宗教儀式,都要用到牛糞餅.整個印度農村地區,干牛糞堆隨處可見.
Radhika Agarwal of ShopClues, a major online retailer in India, said demand for the cow dung cakes spiked during the recent Diwali season, a time when Hindus conduct prayer ceremonies at their homes, factories and offices. On a recent day, ShopClues' website showed that the patties had sold out.
印度主要電商"店蹤"（ShopClues）的拉迪卡·阿加瓦爾說,最近隨著排燈節（Diwali）的到來,人們要在家中、工廠、或辦公室里舉行祈禱儀式,這使得牛糞餅的需求量激增.最近某一天,"店蹤"網站顯示那天的牛糞餅銷售告罄.
"Around Diwali, when people do a lot of pujas in their homes and workplaces, there is a lot of demand for cow dung cakes," said Agarwal, referring to rituals performed during the popular festival.
提到這個盛大節日的宗教儀式時,阿加瓦爾說："排燈節期間,人們要在家中或工作地點做多次禮拜,對牛糞餅的需求量很大."
"Increasingly, in the cold weather, people are keeping themselves warm by lighting fires" using them, she said, adding that people who grew up in rural areas find the peaty smell of dung fires pleasant.
"天變冷了,人們也要需要更多的牛糞餅來點火取暖."她還說道農村長大的人更喜歡聞牛糞燃燒時那種泥煤似的味道.
"It reminds them of the old days," she said.
"這讓他們回想起以前的時光."她說.
The cakes are sold in packages that contain two to eight pieces weighing 200 grams (7 ounces) each. Prices range from 100 to 400 rupees ($1.50 to $6) per package.
牛糞餅以包裝形式出售,每包裝有兩到八個重200克（7盎司）的糞塊兒,價錢從100到400盧比（1.50到6美元）不等.
Dung cakes are also used as organic manure, and some sellers are marketing them for use in kitchen gardens.
牛糞餅還可以當有機化肥使用,有些商家把它作為廚房菜園用品營銷.
