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Kartikeya (Sanskrit: कार्तिकेय, IAST: Kārtikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha and Murugan (Tamil: முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha. Kartikeya has been an important deity in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. It has been postulated that the Tamil deity of Murugan was syncretized with the Vedic deity of Skanda following the Sangam era. He is regarded as the "God of the Tamil people" and is hailed as the lord of Palani hills, the tutelary deity of the Kurinji region whose cult gained immense popularity. Tamil Sangam literature has several works attributed to Murugan such as Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai by Nakkīraṉãr and Tiruppukal by Arunagirinathar. Archaeological evidence from the 1st-century CE and earlier indicate his iconography associated with Agni, the Hindu god of fire, suggesting he was a significant deity in early Hinduism. The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an Indian peafowl, called Paravani and sometimes with an emblem of a rooster upon his banner. He wields a spear weapon called vel, supposedly given to him by his mother Parvati. While most icons represent him with only one head, some have six heads which reflect the legend surrounding his birth wherein he was born as six boys who were later united into one by Parvati. He is described to have aged quickly from childhood, becoming a warrior, leading the army of the Devas and credited with destroying rakshasas such as Tarakasura and Surapadma. He is regarded as a philosopher who taught the pursuit of an ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta. Kaumaram is the denomination that primarily venerates Kartikeya. Apart from significant Kaumaram worship and temples in South India, he is worshiped as Mahasena and Kumara in North and East India. He is also worshiped in Sri Lanka, South East Asia notably in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, other countries with significant people of Tamil origin like Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa and Canada, Caribbean countries including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname, countries with significant Indian migrants including the United States and Australia. Etymology and nomenclature Kartikeya means "of the Krittikas" and the epithet is linked to the circumstances surrounding his birth. According to Skanda Purana, six divine sparks emerged from Shiva which developed into separate baby boys in the Ganges, aided by Vayu and Agni. They were raised by handmaidens known as the Krittikas and were later fused into one by Parvati. While he has 108 names according to existing Hindu literature, he is known by more given names. Most common amongst these include Skanda (from skand-, "to leap or to attack"), Murugan (handsome), Kumara (youthful), Subrahmanya (transparent), Senthil (victorious), Vēlaṇ (wielder of Vel), Swaminatha (ruler of gods), Saravaṇabhava (born amongst the reeds), Arumugha or Shanmukha (six faced), Dhanadapani (wielder of mace) and Kandha (cloud). On ancient coins where the inscription has survived along with his images, his names appear as Kumara, Brahmanya, or Brahmanyadeva. On some ancient Indo-Scythian coins, his names appear in Greek script as Skanda, Kumara, and Vishaka. Birth and family Various Indian literature recite numerous different stories surrounding the birth of Kartikeya. In Valmiki's Ramayana, he is described as the child of deities Rudra and Parvati, whose birth is aided by Agni and Ganga. The Shalya Parva and the Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata presents Skanda's legend as the son of Maheshvara (Shiva) and Parvati. As Shiva and Parvati were making love, they are disturbed, and Shiva inadvertently spills his semen which incubates in Ganges, preserved by the heat of god Agni, and this fetus is born as baby Kartikeya. According to the Skanda Purana, the asuras Śūrāpadma, Tārakāsura, and Simhamukha performed austerities to propitiate Shiva. Shiva granted them various boons, which gave them the ability to conquer the three worlds and near immortality. They subsequently oppressed other celestial beings including the devas, and started a reign of tyranny in their respective realms. When the devas pleaded Shiva for his assistance, he manifested five additional heads, and a divine spark emerged from each of them. Initially, the wind-god Vayu carried the sparks, with the fire-god Agni taking over later because of the unbearable heat. Agni deposited the sparks in the Ganga river. The water in the Ganga started evaporating due to intense heat. Ganga took them to Saravana lake, where the sparks developed into six baby boys. The six boys were raised by handmaidens known as the Krittikas, and they were later fused into one by Parvati. Thus, the six-headed Kartikeya was born. In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata, he is mentioned as the son of Agni and Svaha. It is recited that Agni goes to meet the wives of the Saptarshi (seven great sages) and while none of them reciprocate his feelings, Svaha is present there and is attracted to Agni. Svaha takes the form of six of the wives, one by one, and sleeps with Agni. 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. He is considered as the younger brother of Ganesha, while some texts regard that he is the elder. In the northern and western Indian traditions, Kartikeya is regarded as a celibate bachelor, though few Sanskrit texts mention Devasena, the daughter of Indra, as his wife. As per Tamil literature, he has two consorts, Devayanai (identified with Devasena) and Valli. Literature Vedic text and epics There are ancient references which can be interpreted to be Kartikeya in the Vedic texts. For example, the term Kumara appears in hymn 5,2 of the Rig Veda. The verses depict a bright-colored boy hurling weapons and other motifs that have been associated with Skanda. The Skanda-like motifs found in Rig Veda are found in other Vedic texts, such as section 6.1-3 of the Shatapatha Brahmana. In these, the mythology is very different for Kumara, as Agni is described to be the Kumara whose mother is Ushas (goddess Dawn) and whose father is Purusha. The section 10.1 of the Taittiriya Aranyaka mentions Sanmukha (six faced one), while the Baudhayana Dharmasutra mentions a householder's rite of passage that involves prayers to Skanda with his brother Ganapati (Ganesha) together. The chapter 7 of the Chandogya Upanishad (~800–600 BCE) equates Sanat-Kumara (eternal son) and Skanda, as he teaches sage Narada to discover his own Atman (soul, self) as a means to the ultimate knowledge, true peace and liberation. The first clear evidence of Kartikeya's importance emerges in the Hindu epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata where his story is re.... Discover the Dandapani popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Dandapani books.