Śikhi or mayura (mayil in Tamil) means peacock. Vahana is a form in which Subrahmanya is seated on a peacock. The peacock was associated with Karttikeya since the Gupta period as noted in Kalidasa's Raghuvamsa (5th century AD). As Śikhivahana, Subrahmanya has one face, three eyes and four hands The hands bear the abhaya mudra, varada mudra, sakti and vajra. His peacock vehicle is called Indranilaratha. The Śrītattvanidhi associates the other forms of Muruga like Karttikeya, Shanmukha and Desika with the peacock. They are ten, twelve and six-handed respectively.
From "The Iconography of Murugan" by Prof. Raju Kalidos.
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