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DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA, March 31, 2002: Feathers have been ruffled in the Hindu community in this country because some temples used a symbol of a peacock rather than a rooster on their flags for Kavadi festivals. The rooster symbol has been widely used for more than a century, but some temples have upset devotees by replacing it with the peacock. Three Hindu temples, including the Shri Vaithianatha Easvarar Alayam, the oldest and largest in the county, used the peacock. The festival of Kavad is celebrated at scores of temples in South Africa and Asia during January and February to honor the Lord Muruga. Hundreds of devotees carry heavy wooden structures, called kavadi, decorated with rows of marigolds. The kavadi is a portable shrine and offering. The Devasthanam foundation of South African Indian Temples — an organization representing most temples in the country — recently convened at an urgent meeting after complaints over the use of the peacock flag. Gonaseelan Moopanar, chairman of the foundation, said at the meeting that his organization was working towards bringing about unification in the Hindu religion regarding religious practices. “We have received complaints from devotees who were confused about what was happening with the different flags being raised, especially the replacing of the traditional image of a rooster with a peacock. According to religious scriptures and the teaching of our elders, the rooster is the correct symbol. It has been the symbol for many years. The peacock symbolizes the transport for Lord Muruga, but the rooster is the victory flag,” said Moopanar.

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