| Kartikeya | |
|---|---|
God of victory and war Commander of the gods[1] | |
 Statue of Kartikeya atBatu Caves, Malaysia | |
| Other names | Murugan, Subrahmanya, Kumara, Skanda, Saravana, Arumukha, Devasenapati, Shanmukha, Kathirvela, Guha, Swaminatha, Velayuda, Vēļ[2][3] |
| Affiliation | Deva,Siddhar |
| Abode | Arupadai veedu (Six Abodes of Murugan) Palani Hills Kailasha |
| Planet | Mangala (Mars) |
| Mantra |
|
| Weapon | Vel |
| Symbol | Rooster |
| Day | Tuesday |
| Mount | Peacock |
| Gender | Male |
| Festivals | |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | Ganesha (brother) |
| Consort | |
| Part ofa series on |
| Kaumaram |
|---|
 |
 Hinduism portal |
Kartikeya (/kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/;IAST:Kārttikeya), also known asSkanda (/skən̪d̪ə/),Subrahmanya (/sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/),Shanmukha (/ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) andMurugan (/mʊɾʊgən/), is theHindugod of war. He is generally described as the son of the deitiesShiva andParvati and the brother ofGanesha.
Kartikeya has been an important deity in theIndian subcontinent sinceancient times. Mentions of Skanda in theSanskrit literature data back to fifth century BCE and the mythology relating to Kartikeya became widespread in North India around the second century BCE. Archaeological evidence from the first century CE and earlier shows an association of his iconography withAgni, the Hindu god of fire, indicating that Kartikeya was a significant deity in early Hinduism. He is hailed as the "favoured god of theTamils", and the tutelary deity of theKurinji region inSangam literature, whose cult gained popularity later. As per theologists, theTamil deity of Murugan coalesced with theVedic deity of Skanda over time. He is considered as the patron deity ofTamil language andliterary works such asTirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai byNakkīraṉãr andTiruppukal byArunagirinathar are devoted to Murugan.
The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly. He is typically represented as anever-youthful man, riding or near anIndian peafowl (named Paravani), and sometimes with anemblem of a rooster on his banner. He wields aspear called thevel, supposedly given to him by his mother Parvati. While most icons represent him with only one head, some have six heads, a reflection of legends surrounding his birth wherein he was fused from six boys or borne of six conceptions. He is described to have aged quickly from childhood, becoming a warrior, leading the army of thedevas and credited with destroyingrakshasas includingTarakasura andSurapadma. He is regarded as aphilosopher who taught the pursuit of an ethical life and the theology ofShaiva Siddhanta.
Kaumaram is theHindu denomination that primarily venerates Kartikeya. Apart from significant Kaumaram worship and temples inSouth India, he is worshipped as Mahasena and Kumara inNorth andEast India. He is also worshipped inSri Lanka,Southeast Asia (notably inMalaysia,Singapore,Thailand andIndonesia), other countries with significant populations of Tamil origin (includingFiji,Mauritius,South Africa andCanada),Caribbean countries (includingTrinidad and Tobago,Guyana andSuriname), and countries with significantIndian migrant populations (including theUnited States andAustralia).
The epithetKartikeya is linked to the circumstances surrounding the deity's birth.[6] According to theSkanda Purana, six divine sparks emerged fromShiva, forming six separate baby boys. These boys were raised byhandmaidens known as theKrittikas. Later,Parvati fused them into one, creating the six-headed Kartikeya.[7] Kartikeya means "of the Krittikas" inSanskrit.[6][8] According to Hindu literature, he is known by 108 different names, though other names also exist in common usage.[9] Most common amongst these include Skanda (fromskand-, 'to leap or to attack'), Murugan ('handsome'), Kumara ('youthful'), Subrahmanya ('transparent'), Senthil ('victorious'), Vēlaṇ ('wielder ofvel'), Swaminatha ('ruler of gods'), Saravaṇabhava ('born amongst the reeds'), Arumukha or Shanmukha ('six faced'), Dhanadapani ('wielder of mace') and Kandha ('cloud').[10][11][12]
On ancient coins featuring his images, his name appears inscribed as Kumara, Brahmanya, or Brahmanyadeva.[13] On some ancientIndo-Scythian coins, his name appears in Greek script as Skanda, Kumara, and Vishaka.[14][15]
Various Indian literary works recount different stories surrounding the birth of Kartikeya. InValmiki'sRamayana (seventh to fourth century BCE), he is described as the child of deitiesRudra and Parvati, with his birth aided byAgni andGanga.[16] TheShalya Parva and theAnushasana Parva of the third-century BCEHindu epicMahabharata narrate the legend of Skanda, presenting him as the son of Maheshvara (Shiva) and Parvati: Shiva and Parvati were disturbed during sex, causing Shiva to inadvertently spill hissemen. The semen was then incubated in theGanges, preserved by the heat of the god Agni, and eventually born as baby Kartikeya.[6][17]
According toShiva Purana,asuraTarakasura performedtapas to propitiate the creator godBrahma. Brahma granted him two boons: one, that none shall be his equal in all of thethree worlds, and two, that only a son of Shiva could slay him.[18][19] As Shiva was a yogi and thus unlikely to bear children, Tarakasura was armed with nearimmortality. In his quest to rule the three worlds, he expelled thedevas fromSvarga.Indra, the king of devas, devised a scheme to disrupt Shiva’s meditation and beguile him with thoughts of love, so that he could sire an offspring and thusly end Tarakasura's immortality. Shiva was engaged inmeditation, and hardly noticed the courtship ofParvati, the daughter ofHimavan who sought him as her consort. Indra taskedgod of loveKamadeva and his consortRati to disturb Shiva. Shiva was furious with the act and burnt Kamadeva to ashes. But Shiva's attention then turned towards Parvati, who had performed tapas in order to win his affection, and married her, then conceiving Kartikeya.[19]
According to the seventeeth-century CE textKanda Puranam (theTamil rendition of the olderSkanda Purana), the asura brothers Surapadma, Simhamukha and Tarakasura performed tapas to Shiva, who granted them with various weapons and a wish wherein they could only be killed by the son of Shiva, which offered them near-immortality. They subsequently oppressed other celestial beings including the devas, and started a reign of tyranny in thethree worlds.[7][20] When the devas pleaded to Shiva for his assistance, he manifested five additional heads on his body, and a divine spark emerged from each of them. Initially, the wind godVayu carried the sparks, later handing them to the fire god Agni because of the unbearable heat. Agni deposited the sparks in the Ganges river. The water in the Ganges began to evaporate due to the intense heat of the sparks. Ganga took them to Saravana lake, where the sparks developed into six baby boys.[7] The six boys were then raised by the Krittikas and they were later fused into one by Parvati. Thus, the six-headed Kartikeya was born, conceived to answer the devas' pleas for help and deliver them from the asuras.[21]
Kumarasambhava (lit. 'Birth of Kumara') from the fifth-century CE narrates a similar story on his birth wherein Agni carries thesemen of Shiva and deposits them inBhagirathi River (headstream of Ganges). When the Krittikas bathe in the river, they are impregnated and give birth to Kartikeya.[22]
An alternate account of Kartikeya's parentage is narrated in theVana Parva of theMahabharata, where he is described as the son ofAgni andSvaha. It is narrated that Agni goes to meet the wives of theSaptarshi (seven great sages) and, while none of the wives reciprocates Agni's feelings of love, Svaha is present and attracted to Agni. Svaha takes the form of six of the wives, one by one, and has sex with Agni six times. She is unable to take the form of Arundhati,Vasishtha's wife, because of Arundhati's extraordinary virtuous powers. Svaha deposits the semen of Agni into the reeds of Ganges river, where it develops and is born as the six-headed Skanda.[23]
InKanda Puranam, Kartikeya is portrayed as a child playing in thecosmos. In his childhood, he fiddles with the orbits ofplanets, stacks the mountains inKailasha on top ofMount Meru and stops the flow of River Ganges, among other feats. He imprisons Brahma as he could not explain the meaning ofAum.[21] When Shiva asks for the meaning of themantra, Kartikeya teaches it to his father.[24][25] According to theMahabharata, the devas and gods gift him various objects and animals.[26]
As perKanda Puranam, sageNarada once visited Shiva at Kailasha and presented him with aGnana palam (fruit of knowledge).[27] This fruit is generally regarded as amango.[28] Shiva expressed his intention of dividing the fruit between his two sons,Ganesha and Kartikeya, but Narada counseled that the fruit could not be divided. So, it was decided to award the fruit to whomsoever first circled the world thrice. Accepting the challenge, Kartikeya started his journey around the globe atop hispeacockmount. However, Ganesha surmised that the world was no more than his parents Shiva and Shakti combined, circumambulated them, and won the fruit. When Kartikeya returned, he was furious to learn that his efforts had been in vain, and felt cheated. He discarded all his material belongings and left Kailasha to take up abode in thePalani Hills as ahermit.[29][30] According to Fred Clothey, Kartikeya did this out of a felt need to mature from boyhood.[31] According toKamil Zvelebil, Kartikeya represents the actual fruit of wisdom for his devotees rather than any physical fruit such as a mango or a pomegranate.[32]
Though Kartikeya had powers derived from Shiva, he was innocent and playful. Shiva granted him celestial weapons and the divine spearvel, an embodiment of the power ofShakti (Parvati). On obtaining the vel, Kartikeya was imparted with the knowledge of distinguishing between good and evil.[33] TextsKanda Puranam andKumarasambhavam recount a war fought by Kartikeya against the asuras. As Kartikeya was born to save the devas from the tyrnany of the asuras, he was appointed as the commander of the devas and engaged in conflict with the asuras.[22] Shiva granted him an army of 30,000 warriors to assist in the war against the oppressive asura brothers, whom Kartikeya was born to defeat.[34] Kartikeya was assisted by nine warriors, headed byVirabahu, who served as sub-commanders of his army. These nine men were borne by nine lesser clones of Shakti who appeared from hersilambu (anklet).[24]
Kartikeya believed that asuras and devas were all descendants of Shiva and that if asuras were to correct their ways, the conflict could be avoided. He sent messengers to communicate as much and to give the asuras a fair warning, which they ignored.[33] Kartikeya killed Tarakasura and his lieutenant Krowchaka with his vel.[24] While Tarakasura was confused at facing Shiva's son, as he thought his war was not with Shiva, Kartikeya felt it necessary to vanquish him, as his vision was occluded byMaya.[33] Zvelebil interprets this episode as the coming of age of Kartikeya.[35]
Kartikeya killed the next brother Simhamukha and faced off with Surapadma in the final battle.[20] Surapadma took a large form with multiple heads, arms and legs trying to intimidate Kartikeya. When Kartikeya threw his vel, Surapadma escaped to the sea and took the form of a largemango tree, which spread across the three worlds. Kartikeya used his vel to split the tree in half, with each half transforming into apeacock and arooster, respectively. After Surapadma was killed, Kartikeya took the peacock as hisvahana and the rooster as hispennant.[36]
.jpg)
Indian religious literature describes Kartikeya and Ganesha as sons of Shiva and Parvati.Shavite puranas such asGanesha Purana,Shiva Purana andSkanda Purana state that Ganesha is the elder of the two.[37][38][39]Mahabharata and thePuranas mention various other brothers and sisters of Skanda or Kartikeya.[40]
In the northern and eastern Indian traditions, Kartikeya is generally regarded as acelibate bachelor.[5] InSanskrit literature, Kartikeya is married toDevasena (lit. 'Army of Devas'; as her husband was 'Devasenapati'lit. 'Commander of army of Devas').[41] Devasena is described as the daughter ofDaksha in theMahabharata, whileSkanda Purana considers her as the daughter of Indra and his wifeShachi. InTamil literature, he has two consorts: Devayanai (identified with Devasena) andValli.[5] InKanda Puranam, Devayanai (lit. 'Divine elephant'; as she was brought up byAiravata, the elephant[4]) is depicted as the daughter of Indra, who was given in marriage to Kartikeya for his help in saving the devas from the asuras. Kartikeya is also said to have married Valli, the daughter of atribal chief.[42] In Tamil folklore, both Devasena and Valli were daughters ofVishnu in the previous birth.[43] When theyreincarnated, Devasena was adopted as the daughter of Indra as a result of her penance and Valli was born on the Earth. However, both were destined to marry the son of Shiva.[44]
There are references in the ancientVedas to "Skanda", which can be interpreted to refer to Kartikeya. For example, the termKumara appears in hymn 5.2 of theRig Veda.[45][note 2] The verses mention a brightly-colored boy hurling weapons, evoking motifs associated with Kartikeya such as his bright glowing skin and his possession of divine weapons including thevel.[46] These motifs are also found in other Vedic texts, such as in sections 6.1-3 of theShatapatha Brahmana: while Kumara is one of the names used to mention Kartikeya, the mythology in the earlier Vedic texts is different. In these, Agni is described as Kumara, whose mother isUshas (goddess Dawn) and whose father is Purusha.[47] Section 10.1 of theTaittiriya Aranyaka mentionsSanmukha (six faced one), while theBaudhayana Dharmasutra mentions a householder's rite of passage that involves prayers to Skanda (Kartikeya) and his brother Ganapati (Ganesha) together.[48] Chapter 7 of theChandogya Upanishad (eighth to sixth century BCE) equates Sanat-Kumara (eternal son) and Skanda, as he teaches the sageNarada to discover his ownAtman (soul, self) as a means to ultimate knowledge, true peace, and liberation.[49][50][note 3] The earliest clear evidence of Kartikeya's importance emerges in the Hinduepics, such as theRamayana and theMahabharata, where his story is recited.[6][52]
Mentions of Skanda are found in the works ofPāṇini (fifth century BCE), inPatanjali'sMahabhasya andKautilya'sArthashastra (third to second century BCE).[53]Kalidasa's epic poemKumarasambhava from the fifth-century CE features the life and story of Kartikeya.[54] Kartikeya forms the main theme ofSkanda Purana, the largestMahapurana, a genre of eighteenHindu religious texts.[55] The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is part ofShaivite literature.[56] While the text is named after Skanda (Kartikeya), he does not feature either more or less prominently in the text than in other Shiva-related Puranas.[57] The text has been an important historical record and influence on the Hindu traditions related to war-god Skanda.[57][58] The earliest text titledSkanda Purana likely existed by the sixth century CE, but theSkanda Purana that has survived into the modern era exists in many versions.[59][60][61]
Ancient Tamil textTolkappiyam from the second century BCE mentionsCeyon ("the red one"), identified with Murugan, whose name is mentioned asMurukan ("the youth").[62] ExtantSangam literature works dated between the third century BCE and the fifth century CE glorify Murugan, "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent," as "the favoured god of the Tamils."[63]Korravai is often identified as the mother of Murugan.[64]Tirumurukarruppatai, estimated to have been written in the second to fourth century CE, is an ancient Tamil epic dedicated to Murugan. He is calledMurugu and described as a god of beauty and youth, with such exaltations as "his body glows like the sun rising from the emerald sea". It describes him with six faces—each with a function, and twelve arms, and tells of the temples dedicated to him in the hilly regions and of his victory over evil.[65] The ancient Tamil lexiconPinkalandai identifies the nameVel with the slayer of Tarakasura.[note 4]Paripatal, a Sangam literary work from the third century CE, refers to Kartikeya asSevvel ("red spear") and asNeduvel ("great spear").[66][67]
InMahayana Buddhism, theMahaparinirvana Sutra mentions Kumara as one of the eighty gods worshipped by the common people. TheArya Kanikrodhavajrakumarabodhisattava Sadhanavidhi Sutra (T 1796) features a section for the recitation of a mantra dedicated to the deity, where he is also paired withIsvara.Yi Xing's Commentary of the Mahavairocana Tantra clarifies that Kumara is the son of Isvara.[68] The sixteenth-century Siamese textJinakalamali mentions him as a guardian god.[69]
AncientYaudheya andKushan period coins dated to the first and second centuries CE show Kartikeya with either one or six heads, with one-headed depictions being more common.[70] Similarly, sculptures show him with either one or six heads, with the six head iconography dated to post-Gupta Empire era.[71] Artwork found inGandhara andMathura dated to the Kushan period shows him with one head, dressed in adhoti (a cloth wrapped at the waist, covering the legs)armour, wielding aspear in his right hand with arooster on his left.[72][73] Artworks from Gandhara show him inScythian dress, likely reflecting the local dress culture of the time, with a rooster-like bird that may draw fromParthian influence to symbolize Kartikeya's agility and maneuverability as a warrior god.[74] Kartikeya's iconography portrays him as a youthful god, dressed as a warrior with attributes of a hunter and a philosopher.[75]
He wields a divine spear known as thevel, granted to him by Parvati. The vel signifies his power, orshakti, and symbolizes valor, bravery and righteousness.[9][76] He is sometimes depicted with other weapons, including a sword, a javelin, a mace, a discus and a bow.[77][78] Hisvahana or mount is depicted as apeacock, known as Paravani.[79] While he was depicted with anelephant mount in early iconography, his iconography of a six faced lord on a peacock mount became firmly enshrined after the sixth century CE, along with the progression of his role from that of a warrior to that of a philosopher-teacher, and his increasing prominence in theShaivite cannon.[80] According to theSkanda Purana, when Kartikeya faced asura Surapadma, the latter turned into amango tree, which was then split in half by Kartikeya using his vel. One half of the tree became his mount, the peacock, while the other half became the rooster entrenched on his flag.[9]
Guha (Muruga)
You who has form and who is formless,
you who are both being and non-being,
who are the fragrance and the blossom,
who are the jewel and its lustre,
who are the seed of life and life itself,
who are the means and the existence itself,
who are the supreme guru, come
and bestow your grace, O Guha [Murugan]
Consistent elements of Kartikeya's narrative across the diverse corpus of legends relating to him include his birth by a surrogate in difficult circumstances, his upbringing by a host of mothers, and his later reunion with his biological family. According to Fred Clothey, Muruga thus symbolizes a union of polarities.[82] He is considered a uniter, championing the attributes of bothShaivism andVaishnavism (which revere Shiva and Vishnu as their supreme deities, respectively).[83] Kartikeya's theology is most developed in the Tamil texts and in theShaiva Siddhanta tradition.[6][84] He is described asdheivam (abstract neuter divinity,nirguna brahman), askadavul (divinity in nature, in everything), asDevan (masculine deity), and asiraivativam (concrete manifestation of the sacred,saguna brahman).[85] According to Fred Clothey, as Murugan, he embodies the "cultural and religious whole that comprises South Indian Shaivism".[82] He is a central philosopher and a key exponent of Shaiva Siddhanta theology, as well as the patron deity of theTamil language.[86][87]
Originally, Murugan was not worshipped as a god, but rather as an exalted ancestor, heroic warrior and accomplishedSiddhar born in theKurinji landscape. In that role he was seen as a guardian who consistently defended the Tamils against foreign invasions with the stories of his astonishing and miraculous deeds increasing his stature in the community, who began to view him as god.[88][89] Many of the major events in the narrative of Murugan's life take place during his youth, which encouraged the worship of Murugan as a child-god.[16]
According toRaman Varadara, Murugan, originally regarded as a Tamil deity, underwent a process of adoption and incorporation into the pantheon of North Indian deities.[5] In contrast,G. S. Ghurye states that according to the archeological and epigraphical evidence, the contemporary deity worshipped as Murugan, Subrahmanya and Kartikeya is a composite of two influences: Skanda from the south, and Mahasena from the north. He as the warrior-philosopher god was the patron deity for many ancient northern and western Hindu kingdoms, and of theGupta Empire, according to Ghurye. After the seventh century, Skanda's importance diminished while his brother Ganesha's importance rose in the west and north, while in the south the legends of Murugan continued to grow.[90][91] According to Norman Cutler, Kartikeya-Murugan-Skanda of South and North India coalesced over time, but some aspects of the South Indian iconography and mythology for Murugan have remained unique to Tamil Nadu.[92]
According to Fred Clothey, the evidence suggests that mythology relating to Kartikeya became widespread in North India sometime around 200 BCE or later.[93] In addition to textual evidence, his importance is affirmed by thearcheological,epigraphic, andnumismatic record of this period. For example, he is found in numismatic evidence linked to theYaudheyas, a confederation of warriors in North India who are mentioned by the ancient Sanskrit grammarian Pāṇini.[94] During theKushan era, that included rule over the northwestIndian subcontinent, more coins featuring Kartikeya were minted.[94] He is also found on ancientIndo-Scythian coins, where his various names are minted inGreek script.[14][note 5]
Skanda was regarded as a philosopher in his role as Subramanhya, while Murugan was similarly regarded as the teacher of Tamil literature and poetry. In the lateChola period from the sixth to thirteenth centuries CE, Murugan was firmly established in the role of a teacher and philosopher, while his militaristic depictions waned. Despite the changes, his portrayal was multi-faceted, with significant differences between Skanda and Murugan until the lateVijayanagara period, when he was accepted as a single deity with diverse facets.[96]
InMahayana Buddhism, he is described as a manifestation of Mahābrahmārāja with five hair coils and a handsome face emanating purple-golden light that surpasses the light of the other devas. InChinese Buddhism,Skanda (also sometimes known as Kumāra) is known as Weituo, a young heavenly general, the guardian deity of local monasteries and the protector of Buddhistdhamma.[98][99] According to Henrik Sorensen, this representation became common after theTang period, and became well established in the lateSong period.[100] He is also regarded as one of thetwenty-four celestial guardian deities, who are a grouping of originally Hindu and Taoist deities adopted into Chinese Buddhism asdharmapalas.[101] Skanda was also adopted byKorean Buddhism, and he appears in Korean Buddhist woodblock prints and paintings.[100]
According toRichard Gombrich, Skanda has been an important deity in theTheravada Buddhist pantheon in countries such asSri Lanka andThailand. TheNikaya Samgraha describes Skanda Kumara as a guardian deity of the land, along with Upulvan (Vishnu),Saman andVibhisana.[69] In Sri Lanka, Skanda, asKataragama deviyo, is a popular deity among bothTamil Hindus and Sinhalese Buddhists. While manySri Lankan Buddhists regard him as abodhisattva, he is also associated with sensuality and retribution. AnthropologistGananath Obeyesekere has suggested that the deity's popularity among Buddhists is due to his purported power to grant emotional gratification, which is in stark contrast to the sensual restraint that characterizes Buddhist practice in Sri Lanka.[102]According toAsko Parpola, the Jain deityNaigamesa, who is also referred to as Hari-Naigamesin, is depicted in early Jain texts as riding the peacock and as the leader of the divine army, both characteristics of Kartikeya.[103]
Kavadi Aattam is a ceremonial act of sacrifice and offering to Murugan practiced by his devotees.[104] Its origin has been linked to a mythic anecdote aboutIdumban.[105] It symbolizes a form ofdebt bondage through the bearing of a physical burden calledKavadi (lit. 'burden'). The Kavadi is a physical burden which consists of two semicircular pieces of wood or steel which are bent and attached to a cross structure in its simplest form, which is then balanced on the shoulders of the devotee. By bearing the Kavadi, the devoteesprocessionally implore Murugan for assistance, usually as a means of balancing a spiritual debt or on behalf of a loved one who is in need of help or healing. Worshipers often carry pots ofcow milk as an offering (pal kavadi). The most extreme and spectacular practice is the carrying ofel kavadi, a portable altar up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall and weighing up to 30 kg (66 lb) decorated with peacock feathers, which is attached to the body of the devotee through multiple skewers and metal hooks pierced into the skin on the chest and back.[104][106][107][108]
Once all sages and gods assembled inKailasha, the abode of Shiva, which resulted in the tilting ofEarth due to an increase in weight on thehemisphere where the gathered stood. Shiva asked sageAgasthya to move towards the south to restore the balance. Agasthya employed anasura named Idumban to carry two hills calledSivagiri andSakthigiri (Mountains of Shiva andShakti) on his shoulders to be placed in the south, to balance the weight. Idumban carried the hills and set southward, stopping en-route to place them down for a while and rest. When he tried to lift them again, he was unable to move one of the hills. He found a youth standing atop the hill and fought with him, only to be defeated. Agasthya identified the youth as Kartikeya, and the two discussed the dispute. The hill was left to remain at its resting location, which later becamePalani. Kartikeya later resurrected Idumban as his devotee. The mythology behind Idumban carrying the hills on the shoulder may have influenced the practice of Kavadi.[105]
.jpg)
Worshipers also practice a form ofmortification of the flesh byflagellation and bypiercing their skin, tongue or cheeks withvel skewers.[109] These practices are suppressed in India, where publicself-mutilation is prohibited by law.[110][111]Vibuthi, a type of sacred ash, is spread across the body, including the piercing sites. Drumming and chanting of verses help the devotees to enter a state oftrance.[109] Devotees usually prepare for the rituals by keeping clean, doing regular prayers, following avegetarian diet, andfasting while remainingcelibate.[112] They make pilgrimage to the temples of Kartikeya on bare feet and dance along the route while bearing these burdens.[113]
Tonsuring is performed by devotees as the ritual fulfillment of a vow to discard their hair in imitation of the form that Kartikeya assumed in childhood.[114][115] Newborns may undergo a ritual of tonsuring andear piercing at temples dedicated to Kartikeya.[116]Panchamritam (lit. 'mixture of five') is a sacred sweet mixture made ofbanana,honey,ghee,jaggery andcardamom along withdate fruits andSugar candies, which isoffered to Kartikeya. It is believed to have been prepared before by Ganesha to soothe his brother Kartikeya after their battle for the divine fruit of knowledge. The practice is followed in modern times in temples where the devotees are provided the mixture as aprasad.[105]
Vetrivel Muruganukku Arogara (meaning 'victory for vel wielding Murugan') is a Tamilmantra commonly chanted by devotees while worshiping Kartikeya.[117][118]Om Saravana Bhava is a common chant used by the devotees to invoke Kartikeya.[119]Tiruppukal (meaning 'holy praise' or 'divine glory') is a fifteenth centuryanthology of Tamil religious songs composed byArunagirinathar in veneration of Murugan.[120][121]Kanda Shasti Kavasam is a Tamil devotional song composed byDevaraya Swamigal in the ninteenth century CE.[122][123]
Murugan (Kartikeya), being known as the God of the Tamils, has many temples dedicated to him acrossTamil Nadu. An old Tamil saying states that wherever there is a hill, there will be a temple dedicated to Murugan.[124] As he is venerated as the lord ofKurinji, which is a mountainous region, most of his temples are located on hillocks.[125] Most renowned among them are theSix Abodes of Murugan, a set of six temples atThiruparankundram,Tiruchendur,Palani,Swamimalai,Tiruttani, andPazhamudircholai which are mentioned in Sangam literature.[126] Other major temples dedicated to Murugan are located atKandakottam,Kumaran Kundram,Kumarakkottam,Manavalanallur,Marudamalai,Pachaimalai,Sikkal,Siruvapuri,Thiruporur,Vadapalani,Vallakottai,Vayalur, andViralimalai.[127]
Places of worship dedicated to Subramanya inKerala include temples atHaripad,Neendoor,Kidangoor andKodumbu.[128][129] InAndhra Pradesh andTelangana, he is worshipped under the names Subrahmanya, Kumara Swamy, and Skanda, with major temples atMopidevi,[130]Biccavolu,[131] Skandagiri,[132][133] Mallam,[134][135] and Indrakeeladri, Vijayawada.[136] InKukke Subramanya andGhati Subramanya temples inKarnataka, he is worshipped as Subrahmanya and is regarded as the lord of theserpents.[137][138] InWest Bengal, Kartikeya is associated with childbirth and is worshipped in Kartik temples.[139] Temples also exist in the rest of India inPehowa inHaryana, inManali andChamba inHimachal Pradesh andRudraprayag inUttarakhand.[140][141][142][143]
Kartikeya is worshipped as Kumar inNepal.[144] InSri Lanka, Murugan is predominantly worshipped by Tamil people as Murugan and by theSinhalese asKataragama deviyo, a guardian deity. Numerous Murugan temples exist throughout the island, includingKataragama temple,Nallur Kandaswamy temple andMaviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple.[145][146]
Murugan is revered in regions with significant population of Tamil people and people of Tamil origin, including those inMalaysia,Singapore,Sri Lanka,Thailand,Indonesia andMyanmar,Fiji,Mauritius,Seychelles,Réunion,South Africa andCanada,Caribbean countries includingTrinidad and Tobago,Guyana andSuriname, countries with significant Indian migrants including theUnited States andAustralia.[109] Sri Subramanyar Temple at theBatu Caves inMalaysia is dedicated to Murugan, who is depicted in a 42.7-meter-high statue at the entrance, one of the largest Murugan statues in the world.[147][148] There are some other temples in Malaysia such asBalathandayuthapani Temple andNattukkottai Chettiar Temple,Marathandavar Temple andKandaswamy Kovil.[149][150][151][152]Sri Thendayuthapani Temple is a major Hindu temple inSingapore.[153] Murugan temples also exist in several western countries like United States of America,[154][155] Canada,[156]United Kingdom,[157][158][159][160][161] Australia,[162][163][164]New Zealand,[165][166]Germany[167][168] andSwitzerland.[169]
A number of festivals relating to Kartikeya are observed:
| Deities |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texts | |||||||||||
| Mantra/Stotra | |||||||||||
| Traditions | |||||||||||
| Festivals and observances | |||||||||||
| Shiva temples |
| ||||||||||
| Related topics | |||||||||||
| Philosophy |
|  | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texts |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Deities |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Practices |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
