Introduction
Kartikeya, also called Skanda, Kumara, Subrahmanya and, in Tamil, Murugan, is the Hindu god of war, and the son of Shiva. He is a handsome young god who leads the army of the gods, carries a spear, and rides a peacock. He is one of the oldest gods of India who is still widely worshipped, and is the most important deity of Tamil culture.
Family
Names and epithets
- Kartikeya, "son of the Krittikas", the six women who nursed him
- Skanda, "the leaping one" or "spurt", and Kumara, "the youth"
- Murugan, Murukan, Karthikeyan and Arumugan ("six-faced") in Tamil
- Subrahmanya and Subramaniam in South India, Shanmukha ("six-faced"), Guha, Velan and Senapati, "commander"
- Mahasena and Devasenapati, "commander of the divine army"
Early history
The origins of Kartikeya are complex, and he appears to combine several traditions. In the Mahabharata and other early sources, Skanda and Kumara are war gods and sometimes seen as separate. Coins from the Kushan empire (second century CE) carry images of Skanda-Kumara, Mahasena and Vishakha. The Yaudheya republic of the Punjab issued coins with his image, and the Gupta king Kumaragupta struck coins with a peacock. In Tamil Nadu, Murugan is a god of the hills and youth in the ancient Sangam poems, and the poem Tirumurugarruppadai is devoted to him. Over time these traditions merged. Kartikeya was made the son of Shiva, and the Skanda Purana, the longest of the Puranas, is named after him.
Birth
The Puranas and epics tell several stories. The gods were being defeated by the demon Taraka, who could only be killed by a son of Shiva. Shiva was in meditation, and the gods appealed to him after he married Parvati. Shiva's seed was too powerful for anyone to hold, and was carried by Agni and then by the Ganga, and finally deposited in a clump of reeds. Six Krittikas (the Pleiades) nursed the child, who grew six heads to feed from all of them. Parvati joined the six children into one child with six faces, which is why he is called Shanmukha. In Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava, the poem tells the story up to the birth and the killing of Taraka.
Iconography
Kartikeya is shown as a youth, with six faces and twelve arms, or as a single-faced boy, holding a spear (vel), riding a peacock (Paravani). His banner shows a rooster. In Tamil Nadu he appears as Murugan, usually with one face, with his two wives, Valli and Devasena, and the vel is the main symbol.
Wives
In South Indian tradition, Kartikeya has two wives. Devasena, the daughter of Indra, represents his divine marriage. Valli, a girl of the hunter people, whom he wins after courting her in various disguises, represents love that crosses barriers. Many North Indian traditions present him as an unmarried celibate youth.
Major stories
- Killing Taraka: as the commander of the gods, he killed the demon Taraka. In the Tamil version, he defeats the demon Surapadman, who is split into a peacock and a rooster, which become his emblems.
- Ganesha and the fruit: in a popular South Indian story, Kartikeya lost a contest with Ganesha for a fruit of knowledge, and in anger went to live on the hill of Palani.
Worship and festivals
Kartikeya is worshipped throughout India, but most widely in Tamil Nadu, and in Tamil communities in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore. The six major shrines of Tamil Nadu are the Arupadaiveedu: Tiruparankundram, Tiruchendur, Palani, Swamimalai, Thiruthani and Pazhamudircholai. Other important places are Kukke Subrahmanya in Karnataka and Kataragama in Sri Lanka, which is sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and the indigenous Vedda.
The festivals include Skanda Shashti, the six days celebrating his victory over the demon, and Thaipusam in January or February, when devotees carry kavadi, decorated burdens, in fulfillment of vows. Thaipusam is a major public festival among Tamils in Malaysia and Singapore.
Meaning
Kartikeya is a god of youth, courage and victory over evil. In Tamil tradition, he is also the god of the Tamil language and of the beauty of the mountains, and a personal, loving deity.