From Myth to Canvas: Mayura’s Vibrant Presence in Hindu Art

Mayura and a little bit about it

Mayura or peacock is our national bird. Yes, we all have studied that in school. The importance of peacock goes way beyond just being the national bird. Peacock has always been an important element of all types of arts, including dance, literature, sculptures, jewellery etc. The bird has always been known and sought after for its elegance, beauty and calmness. The bird that was created from the feathers of the mighty Garuda, is bound to have much more importance than just being the national bird. Isn’t it?

Legends Associated with Mayura

The legends state that peacock was created using the feather of Garuda. But why? Garuda himself is son of Kashyapa and Vinata. He is brother of Aruna, the charioteer of Surya. Garuda is also the step brother of Nagas (serpants). The fight between Garuda and Nagas is mentioned in Puranas. When Garuda took the duty as Vahana (mount) of Vishnu, he couldn’t have enough time to keep watch on the activities of Nagas. In order to create Nagas under control, Garuda is said to have created peacocks. In images of the mayura as a mythical bird, it is depicted as killing a snake, which according to a number of Hindu scriptures, is a symbol of cycle of time.

Many tribes have their own tales about how the peacock was created. The Kutia Kondh tribe in Odisha believe that the first peacock was created by their goddess Nirantali. Once when Nirantali was urinating in her garden, a fly came and sat on her private parts. The fly then went around the forest, telling other animals about her parts. Angry Nirantali caught the fly and ripped off the fly’s cuticle. From the wax extracted from the cuticle, and using a few parts of bamboo tree, she created a magical bird. That was the first peacock in the world.

Mayura finds mention in many other Puranas and epics. A story in the Uttara Ramayana elaborates on Indra, who unable to defeat Ravana, sheltered under the wing of a peacock and later blessed it with a “thousand eyes” and fearlessness from serpents. Another story has Indra who after being cursed with a thousand ulcers was transformed into a peacock with a thousand eyes. No wonder we see peacock dancing in joy whenever Indra showers us with rain.

Shiv Purana talks of [peacock] birds that exhibit “various gestures of pleasing eagerness”, and were employed by Kama (god of love and desire) in an attempt to charm Shiva. The beautiful feathers and dance of peacock is definitely bound to induce some happiness in the mind of the person watching. And that is bound to create some desires. Skanda Purana talks of a an Asura named Mayura who fought a war with Subramanya. The peacock named Paravani serves as the conveyance of the god Kartikeya (another name for Subramanya). Kartikeya’s brother Ganesha is also known as Mayureshwara (the lord of Mayura). The Ganesha temple at Morgaon in Maharashtra is one of the Ashtavinayakas (eight sacred places associated with Ganesha). Ganesha and Kartikey’s father Shiva is also associated with Mayura. Sri Chanda Bhairavar, one of the Ashta Bhairava (“Eight Bhairavas”); rides a peacock as his mount.

Peacock is also associated with Vishnu. As mentioned earlier, peacock was created by the feathers of Garuda, Vishnu’s mount. One of Vishnu’s incarnation, Krishna, is always depicted with peacock feather adorning his head. Vishnu’s consort Lakshmi, is the goddess of prosperity, luck and beauty; she is symbolized by the mayura. The mayura named Citramekhala is associated with Saraswati, a deity representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and knowledge.

Mayura in arts

The kings and noblemen always kept peacocks in their garden. The reason was not limited to the beauty. Peacocks are known as snake eaters. And snakes was a very commonly found animal in the dense gardens of these kings and noblemen. So one easy way to keep the snakes away was to have the peacocks roam in the garden.

Mayura also finds place in almost all forms of art like sketches and paintings, dance, jewellery design, handicrafts etc. Mayura finds place in all these from because of the beauty it possesses. Mayura is, in a way, said to be synonym to beauty. When I spoke on this topic with famous Kuchipudi artist Dr Hima Bindu Kanoj, “Mayura in dance is important when it comes to showing animal gaits, using it as a metaphor to describe the beauty of a person, or when we describe a garden or forest, there is a definite mention of peacocks dancing . And also when we dance about Krishna, we show him as the one adorning the peacock feathers in his crown. The hasta again has different usages in different context …sometimes it is not necessary that mayura only signifies a peacock in dance.. The hasta mudra especially might be used for different usages to denote different aspects of abhinaya of dance too. Depends on the literature and where it should be used aptly”.

Not just dance, Mayura finds its place in almost every type of art. Is it only for the beauty of it? I don’t think so. Art, in any form, is expected to inspire and give us motivation. And the elements of art, often symbolic in nature, tells us traits to follow. When we use Chandra (moon) as design element, we are giving importance to the calmness Chandra possesses. In chakra (wheel), we bow down to the cyclical nature of the time and world. Lion in art depicts power (usually of kings) and elephant depicts the devotional or spiritual power. In the same way, when we draw a Mayura, we are not just talking of its beauty but also the power of a peacock to eat the evil forces in our lives (represented by the snake).

Types of peacocks

The ancient literature of Mrigpakshishastra defines 6 types of peacocks. The 1^st variety of peacocks is Mayura. They are green in colour. They are tall and have long necks and legs. They often make sounds and they fly in different ways. They dance more in the evenings. They are not gluttons. They are generally calm. The noise of thunder delights them. The 2^nd variety is called Barhi. They are very tall and have broad crests. There are different varieties of spots on their bodies. They walk fast. They have small beaks but long legs. They like to eat a lot. They dance in the mornings and evenings in various modes. They never wander in the hot sun. They like shades. They can be easily captured and trained. The 3^rd variety is Nilakantha. They are called so because they have blue necks, whereas their body is green. They are short in size and their legs are also short. They are fond of jumping up and down in different modes. In the rainy season they dance in various ways. They sleep very little in the night. Their cry is pleasant. They have beautiful eyes, crests and necks. From their bodies a good odour is emitted. They are fond of sporting in water in summer. The 4^th variety is called Bhujangabhuk. They eat serpents and that is why they are called bhujangabhuk. Their bodies are small. They live in forests. They often cry in the mornings. Their eyes become red when angry. They usually dwell on trees. They are fond of eating flesh. Their feathers are rough. They do not like the scent of human beings. They have lean bodies and lean wings. They do dance well. Sometimes a bad odour comes out of their bodies. They are not good to be tamed. The 5^th variety is known as Shikhavala. They are short. They have marks of different colours on their bodies. They have very long necks and long beaks. They like to wander all the time. They dance well. They are fond of going out in the evenings. They eat fruits, grain and flesh. They are easily captured and trained. The 6^thvariety is called Kekin. They are called so because when they sit still or when they wander they produce the sound ‘Ke-Ka’. They are tall. They like to wander in streets. They have very smooth bodies. When they are young they dance a lot. The hot sun tires them and they like to remain in the shores near water bodies. They have red eyes and feet. Their walk is very elegant. They have beautiful wings. Their crests resemble the rainbow colours. Their life span is 6 years.

The tears of peacock that make peahen pregnant

Btw, do you know an interesting thing about peacocks that used to be cicrulated on whatsapp and is entirely false? They don’t mate through sexual act. Peacock shades tears while dancing. The peahen drinks these tears and gets pregnant.

There is one legend from the Gond tribe of Balaghat. Once Drupti mata got angry with people, and sent diseases upon crop and cattle to punish them. To appease her, a Gond named Nanga Baiga, created a peacock from the dirt of his body and gifted the peacock to the goddess. While creating the peacock, he forgot to give the bird a penis. When the dark monsoon clouds over the sky, the peacock’s body gets filled with sperms. He dances till he tires, and when he coughs and cries with fatigue, the sperm comes out of mouth and eyes.

Of course, the science has proven this theory entirely wrong. But some still believe it. The legend lived on for a long time. The probable reason behind creation of this legend is that the mating process of peacock and peahen is private one. Probably not many could see them mating in the past. So people assumed that the don’t mate in the prevalent way. And hence, a legend to satisfy the curiosity.

Sinhasana vs Mayurasana

A king’s throne is adorned with designs of lion on the either side is called as “Sinhasana”. Even today, Sinhasana is a common word used in political circles and news. But the throne of a deity is not adorned with lions. Unless the deity used to be a king during time on earth. In our homes as well, we use throne made with the design of Mayura for the God. This is because a lion is associated with the political power. Aggressive, vigilant and always ready to attack. Whereas Mayura is associated with the divine power. Calm, elegant and pleasant. So Mayura is not just a beautiful design element for us. Mayura is a connection that connects us to the divine powers. No wonder we see Mayura design in so many items related to the deity and worship.