Donkeys in Hindu Religion
Donkeys are also referred to repeatedly in the writings and imagery of the Hindu religion, and not only Hindu religion but also in Islam and Christian religion too.
In Hinduism, the goddess Kaalaraatri's Vahan (vehicle) is a donkey.
Donkeys also appear multiple times in Indian folklore as the subject of stories in both the Hitopadesh and the Panchatantra.

Donkey in Other Cultures

Cultural References
Due to its widespread domestication and use, the donkey is referred to in myth and folklore around the world. In classical and ancient cultures, donkeys had a role to play. The donkey was the symbol of the Egyptian Sun god Ra as well as the Greek god Dionysus.

Donkeys (or asses) are mentioned many times in the Bible, beginning in the first book and continuing through both Old and New Testaments, so they became part of Judeo-Christian tradition.

They are portrayed as work animals, used for agricultural purposes. In contrast, horses were represented only in the context of war, ridden by cavalry or pulling chariots.

Owners were protected by law from loss caused by the death of or injury to a donkey showing its value in that time period.

Narrative turning points in the Bible (and other stories) are often marked through the use of donkeys - for instance, leading, saddling, or mounting/dismounting a donkey are used to show a change in focus or a decision having been made.

They are used as a measure of wealth in Genesis 30:43, and in Genesis chapter 34.

In the Jewish religion, donkeys are not a kosher animal. They are considered as the ultimate impure animal, and doubly "impure", as they are both non-ruminants and non-cloven hoofed.

With the rise of Christianity, some believers came to see the Cross-shaped marking present on donkey's backs and shoulders as a symbol of the animal's bearing Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

During the Middle Ages, Europeans used hairs from this cross (or contact with a donkey) as folk remedies to cure illness, including measles and whooping cough. Around 1400 AD, one physician listed riding backwards on a donkey as a cure for scorpion stings.

Literature and Film
Donkeys hold a significant place in literature, especially in Western cultures. The original representations of donkeys in Western literature come mainly from the Bible and Ancient Greece. Donkeys were represented in a fairly negative form by the Greeks, but perceptions later changed, partially due to donkeys becoming increasingly symbolically connected to Christianity.

Donkeys are found in the works of Homer, Aesop and Apuleius, where they are generally portrayed as stupid and stubborn, or servile at best, and generally representing the lower class.

They are often contrasted with horses which are seen as powerful and beautiful. Aesop's "The Ass in the Lion Skin", representational of the almost 20 of his fables that portray donkeys, shows the donkey as a fool.

Apuleius's "The Golden Ass" (160 AD), where the narrator is turned into a donkey, is also notable for its portrayal of donkeys as stubborn, foolish, wicked and lowly. This work had a large influence on the portrayal of donkeys in later cultures, including medieval and renaissance Europe. During this time, donkeys continued to be shown as stupid, clumsy and slow.

William Shakespeare
Shakespeare popularized the use of the word "ass" as an insult meaning stupid or clownish in many of his plays, including Bottom's appearance in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1600).

In contrast, a few years later, Cervantes' Don Quixote shows a more positive slant on the donkey, portraying them as steady and loyal companions. This difference is possibly due to donkeys being an important aspect of many Spaniards' lives at this point in time.

In contrast to Grecian works, donkeys were portrayed in Biblical works as symbols of service, suffering, peace and humility, most notably in their inclusion in the New Testament Nativity narrative.

Donkeys are also associated with the theme of wisdom in the Old Testament story of Balaam's ass, and are seen in a positive light through the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey.

By the 19th century, the donkey was portrayed with more positive attributes by popular authors. William Wordsworth portrayed the donkey as loyal and patient in his 1819 poem Peter Bell.

Robert Louis Stevenson in "Travels with a Donkey" (1879) portrays the animal as a stubborn beast of burden.

Donkeys were featured in literature during the 20th century, including in George Orwell's 1951 "Animal Farm", where Benjamin the donkey is portrayed as resilient and loyal.

Puzzle is a well-meaning but easily manipulated donkey in C. S. Lewis's 1956 "The Last Battle".

Disney Films
They are portrayed in film beginning with the 1940 Disney film "Fantasia", where the donkey is portrayed as a slapstick character who participates in a social faux pas with Bacchus and is punished by Zeus.

A donkey is featured as the main figure in the 1966 film "Au Hasard Balthazar" by Robert Bresson, and, is given a life path of Christian symbolism.

Colloquialisms, Proverbs and Insults
Many cultures have colloquialisms and proverbs that include donkeys or asses.
British phrases include "To talk the hind legs off a donkey", used to describe someone talking excessively and generally persuasively.

Donkeys are the animals featured most often in Greek proverbs, including such statements of fatalistic resignation as "the donkey lets the rain soak him".

The French philosopher Jean Buridan constructed the paradox called "Buridan's Ass", in which a donkey placed exactly midway between water and food would die of hunger and thirst because he could not find a reason to choose one of the options over the other, and so would never make a decision.

Italy has several phrases regarding donkeys, including "put your money in the ass of a donkey and they'll call him sir" (meaning, if you're rich, you'll get respect) and "women, donkeys and goats all have heads" (meaning, women are as stubborn as donkeys and goats).

The United States developed its own expressions, including "better a donkey that carries me than a horse that throws me", "a donkey looks beautiful to a donkey", and "a donkey is but a donkey though laden with gold", among others.

To Mean Insult
The words "donkey" and "ass" (or translations thereof) have come to have derogatory or insulting meaning in several languages, and are generally used to mean someone who is obstinate, stupid or silly. Hindi language is one of them.

In football, especially in the United Kingdom, a player who is considered unskillful is often dubbed a "donkey",

In the US, the slang terms "dumb ass" and "jack ass" are used to refer to someone considered stupid.

In Politics
In keeping with their widespread cultural references, donkeys feature in political systems, symbols and terminology in many areas of the world.

A "donkey vote" is a vote that simply writes down preferences in the order of the candidates (1 at the top, then 2, and so on), and is most often seen in countries with preferential voting and compulsory voting, such as Australia.

The donkey is a common symbol of the Democratic Party of the United States, originating in a cartoon by Thomas Nast of Harper's Weekly in the nineteenth century.

The bray of the donkey may be used as a simile for loud and foolish speech in political mockery For example,
There are braying men in the world as well as braying asses; for what's loud and senseless talking and swearing, any other than braying
--Sir Roger L'Estrange

Summary
What I have learnt from the reading
1. In ancient times, for injury or death of ass, its owner was compensated
2. Mentioning in bible in different occasions
3 The entire mention and dealing in literature and films – All are good information
4. Proverbs about ass in western countries
5. Donkeys vote in Australia
6. Colloquialism- "put your money in the ass of a donkey and they'll call him sir"

"women, donkeys and goats all have heads" (meaning, women are as stubborn as donkeys and goats).