The Royal Bird!!

Hi,

As the rose among flowers, so is the Peacock among the feathered tribes.

No other bird has so many colors in its plumage. Its hues are all beautiful; the brilliant blue and black, shot with gold, the satin-like peacock blue of its neck and breast, the shining green of its back, each feather with its tiny eye of brown, the clear brown of the stiff fan that supports its tail, the soft gray down that clothes its body — all are fit robing for this royal bird.

The Peacock, Pavo cristatus, is the national bird of India. It is symbolic of qualities like beauty, grace, pride and mysticism. Peacocok is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers it is able to expand its tail erect like fan as ostentatious display. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train. These birds do not sound as beautiful as they look they have a harsh call. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a beautiful sight.

The Peacock is depicted in picture with the company of Indian Gods and Goddesses. It is the sacred bird of the India, protected not only by a religious sentiment but also by parliamentary statute. Hunting of peacocks is banned in India. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Its [Latin] scientific name, pavo, derives from a Sanskrit epithet, Pavana [purity] that refers to the Hindu deity Vayu, the wind who is also the breath of life and the father of the hero Rama's friend, Hanuman.

In keeping with its kingly raiment is its regal movement, with brilliant feathers swaying just above the grass; so graceful, so dignified.

In Asia, the feathers of the peacock are considered auspicious and protective. However in the early part of the 20th-century in the West, it was considered very bad luck to keep them in the home.

Natural History

The peacock is the male of a variety of the pheasant species, pavo cristatus. The female is a peahen; both are known as peafowl. It is native to India and Shri Lanka. A green variety, p. muticus, is found in neighbouring countries of south Asia. The Phoenicians introduced the peafowl to the pharaohs of Egypt, then it made its way to Europe among the spoils of Alexander of Macedon's returning army.

Each mature male may keep a harem of around 5 hens which it wins in fierce competition with other males. Screeching, preening, displaying [strutting and raising and lowering the "fan"] and a vigorous rustling of the tail-feathers are some elements in the courtship competitions. After the mating, the female lays a clutch of 4 to 6 spotted eggs in a hidden nest.

Peafowl spend most of the day on the ground pecking for food but as evening falls, they roost in the trees. In the spring, and when disturbed, the male can produce a sound very like that of a diesel truck's air horn. These birds are fairly intelligent, and can be trained to come when called. They are very hardy, adapting to fairly extreme temperatures. They are sometimes kept on estates not only as decorative birds, but as reliable "watchdogs."

The peacock flies beautifully, but requires at least a 5-metre "runway" in order to get the lift required for take off

Deities and Royalty

In both the Hindu and the Buddhist traditions, the peacock's influence is mainly in the realm of worldly appearance. (This is in contrast to the swan which is a symbol of the higher realms. ) Hence, the Mother-of-Buddhas, Mahamayuri-vidyarajni has a peacock as her vehicle. In Japan, she appears as Kujaku.

Skanda (also called Murugan,) one of the two sons of Indian god, Shiva, has a peacock for his mount. Lord of the elements of form, he is also a war god. Kumari (Skanda/Subrahamanya's shakti) rides a peacock in the retinue of the Goddess Durga.

It is said that at the time of Creation of the universe, when the primordial poison was churned out of the Sea of Milk and transmuted into the amrita of immortality, it was a peacock that absorbed the negative effects. Thus the bird is thought of as a protector, though its flesh is consequently considered to be poisonous.

In the old Chinese bureaucratic system, members of the third highest level displayed a peacock as the insignia of rank. These badges were in the form of large embroidered squares applied to the front of an official's formal gown.

Peacocks are considered sacred in India, especially in the north where its feathers may be burnt to ward off disease, and even to cure snakebite.

In a Buddhist tale about the travels of some Indian merchants to Baveru or Babylon, we learn that the inhabitants of that great city marvelled at the gorgeous bird which the merchants had brought with them.

The motif of two peacocks, one on each side of the Tree of Life, is a well-known feature of Persian decorative arts. A pair of peacocks stands for the "psychic duality of man" similar to the role played by the Gemini in western astrology, says Cirlot (A Dictionary of Symbols.) However it must be said that the notion of two natures -- in man or in the world that surrounds him -- is certainly not a universal one.

Because of that, in the iconography of European alchemy and hermeneutics, the peacock represents the soul. In Christianity, it stands for immortality and the incorruptibility of the soul, as in this XIth-century Byzantine image. It is an obvious solar symbol, too, because of the resemblance between the rays of the sun and the circular fan of the tail in full display.

Among the Muslims of Java in Indonesia there is a myth about how the peacock guarding the gates to Paradise ate the devil, and that is how he managed to get inside. This myth makes a unity of the duality of good and evil, and also explains the bird's mysterious iridescent colour. It also incorporates the Indian notion of the incorruptibility of the peacock.
Purification

Since a potentially deadly emotion such as anger is depicted as a serpent, and the peacock is immune, the peacock also symbolizes victory over poisonous tendencies in sentient beings. Hence the title of a well-known text for training the mind, Peacock in the Poison Grove by Dharmarakshita, a Tibetan classic in translation.

Lakshmi, wife of the Hindu god, Vishnu, sometimes is depicted with armbands in the form of peacocks. The birds are sacred to her since their cries are associated with the rainy season and hence, fertility.

Maha-Mayuri, known in Japan as Kujaku Myo-o, is the Buddhist wisdom deity associated with the peacock who protects against calamity especially drought.

The hero of the Indian epic, Mahabharat is called Arjun, a name that refers to the peacock. Also, there is a north Indian/Nepali deity called Janguli who protects against snakebite and poisoning. Described as having 3 faces, 6 arms, her vehicle is, not surprisingly, a peacock.

The peacock's beautiful and distinctive colouring is said to be a gift from the god, Indra. One day the King of Gods was doing battle with Ravana, the Demon King. The peacock, which in those days resembled his plain brown hen, took pity on Indra and raised its tail to form a blind or screen behind which Indra could hide himself. As a reward for this act of compassion, the bird was honored with the jewel-like blue-green plumage that it bears to this day.

courtesy: Internet

warm regards,
Anu

hi Anu.....

nice informative post...i like peacocks and white peacock looks so graceful amazing long feathers...truely peacocks are the royal birds.

Dear Aproop,

Thanks for all the info about the Royal Peacock. The references in History,Religion and Mythology made interesting reading.

By the way do you know anything about peacock feathers?

We have a small collection of Peacock feathers which I keep as a decorative item in a vase in our living room.Recently, someone told me that keeping peacock feathers at home will bring bad luck ! I still keep them there as they look lovely and its over six months now since I got them.
We cannot imagine Lord Krishna without Mayil Pili....then I wonder how bad luck got associated with peacock feathers.

warm regards
PAULINA

Dear Pamatvt,

thankyou so much for the FB. They are truly amazing beauty.

love,
Anu

Dear Paulina Ma'am,

I'm so glad you liked the info.

Originally Posted by Paulina

Recently, someone told me that keeping peacock feathers at home will bring bad luck !

It seems that this was promoted intentionally to protect the bird from extinction (maybe because Peacock poaching is rising alarmingly)

It is also said that White Peacock brings good luck. And people are willing to pay in lakhs to get just one feather. But it's understood that white peacocks make up less than 1% of the world peacock population.

love,
Anu

Hi Anu
Wow that was a nice information on Royal peacock
I have see these white peacock in Malasiya they look so awesome. Ya I have heard that there are very few white peacocks in the world. So they are taken lot of care. Even the white tigers they too look so beautiful but are very rare.

Dear Aruna,

Getting to see a White peacock itself is lucky. white tigers are also beautiful...i received a forward mail of white Lion - looks majestic... am attaching it here.

Thanks for writing in. It truly encourages.

love,
Anu

Dear aproop,

I must say I was relieved to hear that peacock feathers are not unlucky items to have at home....but at the same time felt bad that I had in a small way done something wrong by getting them since peacock poaching is on the rise.Actually we got it for a lark....we were a group of friends who visited Pondicherry last year and while we were parked on a side waiting for some others to join us after visiting the The Mother's Ashram a couple of small kids came and pestered us to buy them We got it more to help those poor kids really.

The picture of the white lion was really majestic and grand...looks so ethereal !
Thanks for sharing
warm regards
PAULINA

Wow Anu
The white lion does look so majestic.............hope will get an opportunity to see it in real some day.

Originally Posted by aproop

Dear Aruna,

Getting to see a White peacock itself is lucky. white tigers are also beautiful...i received a forward mail of white Lion - looks majestic... am attaching it here.

Thanks for writing in. It truly encourages.

love,
Anu

Anu,
Interesting information about peacock....
We saw a white peacock in the Vandalur Zoo in Chennai when on a visit there..
White lion ....is majestic indeed....

sriniketan