Skanda

Kapaleshvara Temple, Madras

This sculpture depicts Karttikaya (Skanda), the warlike six-headed son of Shiva, whose vahana is the peacock. For artistic reasons, not all the heads are shown. According to Michell, the temple is dedicated to Shiva in the form of a peacock (mayil). The Rough Guide quotes an additional myth of Parvati. The story goes that Parvati was distracted from her meditations by a dancing peacock, so Shiva turned her into a peahen by way of punishment. Peacock imagery, of which the present photo is just one example, is found throughout the temple.