Jatayu ( sa, जटायु, ) is a demigod in the

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

epic '' Ramayana'', who has the form of a vulture. He was the younger son of

Aruṇa Aruna ( sa, अरुण ) is the charioteer of Surya (Sun god) in Hinduism. He is the elder brother of Garuda. Aruna and Garuda are the sons of Vedic sage Kashyapa and his wife Vinata, daughter of Prajapati Daksha. His children were Sampati an ...

and his wife Shyeni, the brother of Sampati, as well as the nephew of Garuda. He was also an old friend of King Dasharatha, Rama's father.

Legend

Flight towards the Sun

During their youth, Jatayu and his elder brother, Sampati, under a wager, flew towards

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

, the solar deity. Jatayu, careless due to his youthfulness, outflew his brother, and entered the Sūryamaṇḍala, the orbit of the Sun, during noon. Due to the blazing heat of Surya, his wings started to get scorched. In a desperate bid to rescue his brother, Sampati flew ahead of him, spreading his wings wide open to shield him. As a consequence, it was Sampati who had his wings burnt, descending towards the Vindhya mountains. Incapacitated, he spent the rest of his life under the protection of a sage named Nishakara, who performed a penance in the mountains. Jatayu never met his brother again.

Battle against Ravana

The ''

Araṇya-Kāṇḍa ''Araṇya-Kāṇḍa,'' or ''The Forest Episode,'' is the third book of the epic poem Ramayana. It is also found in the Rāmcaritmānas. It follows the legend of Rama through his fourteen-year exile in the forest, joined by his wife and his ...

'' of the '' Ramayana'' mentions that Jatayu is the "King of Vultures"(''gṛdhrarāja''). According to the epic, the rakshasa Ravana was abducting the avatar of Lakshmi, Sita, when Jatayu tried to rescue her. Jatayu fought valiantly with Ravana, but as Jatayu was very old, Ravana soon defeated him, clipping his wings, and Jatayu descended upon the earth. Rama and Lakshmana, while searching for Sita, chanced upon the stricken and dying Jatayu, who informed them of the battle with Ravana, and told them that Ravana had headed south. Jatayu then died of his wounds and Rama performed his final funeral rites.

Veneration

*According to local lore of Kerala, it is believed that Jatayu fell on the rocks in Chadayamangalam in the Kollam district of Kerala after his wings were clipped off by Ravana. The name "Chadayamangalam" is said to be derived from "Jatayu-mangalam".

Jatayu Earth's Center Nature Park Jatayu Earth Center, also known as Jatayu Nature Park or Jatayu Rock, is a park and tourism centre at Chadayamangalam in Kollam district of Kerala. It stands at an altitude of 350m (1200ft) above the mean sea level. Jatayu Nature Park holds ...

in Chadayamangalam features a wide statue of Jatayu, which is credited as the world's largest bird sculpture. * Lepakshi in Andhra Pradesh is also attributed as the place where Jatayu fell after being wounded by Ravana. Rama is said to have commanded the bird to rise, saying ''Le Pakshi'' (literally: "Get up, Bird" in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

), hence the name for the village. *

Vijayaraghava Perumal temple Vijayaraghava Perumal temple is a Vishnu temple in Thiruputkuli, a village in Kanchipuram district in Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated about 7 miles west of Kanchipuram and half a kilometre from Baluchetti Chattiram, which lies on the Chenn ...

in Thiruputkuli, Tamil Nadu is associated with Jatayu because the presiding deity, Vijayaraghava Perumal (a form of Rama), is believed to have performed the last rites of Jataya at this place. The water body where Jatayu fell is called Jatayu Tirtham. *

Thirupullabhoothangudi Temple Thirupullabhoothangudi Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in Pullabhoothangudi near Kumbakonam in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Constructed in Dravidian style of architecture, the temple is glorified in the ''Divya Prab ...

in Pullabhoothangudi, Tamil Nadu is also claimed as the location of Jatayu's last rites. *

Depictions

File:Ravana fighting with Jatayu.jpg, A painting of Ravana fighting Jatayu File:Jatayu fights Ravana.jpg, A painting of Jatayu fighting Ravana (c.1605) File:Ramayana Ballet - Jatayu fighting Ravana, Pentas Ramajana, p20.jpg, Ramayana Ballet - Jatayu fighting Ravana ( Yogyakarta, Indonesia) File:Jatayu Attacks Ravana to Save Sita and Shatters his Chariot - early 18th-century.jpg, A painting of Jatayu attacking Ravana to save Sita and shattering his Chariot (Early 18th century) File:Jatayu Confronting Ravana to Save Sita.jpg, A painting of Jatayu confronting Ravana to save Sita (c.1740-50)

References

Bibliography

* ''Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend'' () by Anna Dhallapiccola * ''Ramayana'' () by C. Rajagopalachari

External links

* The Hindu.
Rama’s paratva
'. {{HinduMythology Characters in the Ramayana Hindu legendary creatures Mythological birds of prey