Back Skanda ALS كارتيكيا (إله) Arabic كارتيكيا (إله) ARZ কাৰ্তিক Assamese Kartikéya BAN Kartikeya BCL कार्तिकेय Bihari কার্তিক (দেবতা) Bengali/Bangla Murugan Catalan Kartikeya CDO
| Kartikeya | |
|---|---|
God of victory and war Commander of the gods[1] | |
 Statue of Kartikeya at Batu 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 |
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| Weapon | Vel |
| Symbol | Rooster |
| Day | Tuesday |
| Mount | Peacock |
| Gender | Male |
| Festivals | |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Siblings | Ganesha (brother) |
| Consort | |
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Kartikeya (IAST: Kārtikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha and Murugan, is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the son of the deities Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha.
Kartikeya has been an important deity in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times. Mentions of Skanda in the Sanskrit 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 with Agni, the Hindu god of fire, indicating that Kartikeya was a significant deity in early Hinduism. He is hailed as the "favoured god of the Tamils", and the tutelary deity of the Kurinji region in Sangam literature, whose cult gained popularity later. As per theologists, the Tamil deity of Murugan coalesced with the Vedic deity of Skanda over time. He is considered as the patron deity of Tamil language and literary works such as Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai by Nakkīraṉãr and Tiruppukal by Arunagirinathar are devoted to Murugan.
The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly. He is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an Indian peafowl (named Paravani), and sometimes with an emblem of a rooster on his banner. He wields a spear called the vel, 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 the devas and credited with destroying rakshasas including 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 Hindu denomination that primarily venerates Kartikeya. Apart from significant Kaumaram worship and temples in South India, he is worshipped as Mahasena and Kumara in North and East India. He is also worshipped in Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia (notably in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia), other countries with significant populations of Tamil origin (including Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa and Canada), Caribbean countries (including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname), and countries with significant Indian migrant populations (including the United States and Australia).
- ^ Zvelebil 1991, p. 87.
- ^ Kumar 2008, p. 179.
- ^ Pillai 2004, p. 17.
- ^ Dalal 2010, p. 251.
- ^ Varadara 1993, pp. 113–114.
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