Forget about Pajeros or even the humbler Boleros, village heads in rural Bihar are doling out hundreds of thousands of rupees to acquire steeds as prized symbols of status in a society still mired in feudalism.

Since November 27, when Asia’s largest cattle fair began in Sonepur, more than 60 horses have been sold. And in a first of sorts, most have been bought by village heads, or mukhiyas as they are known.