Interesting. When I was in Delhi, I soon noticed to my chagrin there were no cows to be seen, and asked about it. I was told there was a law that kept cows out of Delhi, but that I would see them everywhere else during my trip to India, and that is indeed what happened...

As for the marks on the forehead, it may sometimes be simple aesthetics, but in other cases, it has religious meaning. It indicates which "school" of Hinduism the wearer belongs to.