God

Murugan (Kartikeya)

मुरुगन / कार्त्तिकेय

The Commander of the Gods — Lord of War and Youth

Attributes

Color

Red

Day

Tuesday

Direction

South

Symbol

Vel (divine spear)

Weapon

Vel (spear, gift of Parvati)

Vahana

Peacock (Paravani)

Consort

Valli (gypsy girl) and Devasena (celestial nymph)

Iconography

Depicted as a youthful warrior with six heads (Shanmukha) and twelve arms, holding the Vel (divine spear), a bow, a sword, and other weapons. Rides a peacock (Paravani). Sometimes shown with his two consorts Valli and Devasena on either side. The six heads represent the six qualities: fame, wealth, knowledge, strength, power, and courage.

The Story

According to the Skanda Purana, Lord Murugan was born from the sparks of Lord Shiva's third eye — released when Shiva was disturbed from his meditation by Kamadeva (the god of love). The sparks were carried by the river Ganga to a reed forest (Saravana), where six babies (the six Karttikas) were born. The Krittika nymphs (the six stars of the Pleiades) nursed them. When Parvati embraced the six babies, they merged into one being with six heads — Karttikeya (son of the Krittikas), also called Shanmukha (six-faced) and Murugan (the beautiful one). He was appointed as the commander of the gods (Devasenapati) and led the army of the gods against the demon Tarakasura — who could only be killed by a son of Shiva. With his divine Vel (spear, a gift from Parvati), Murugan defeated Tarakasura and his brothers Simhamukha and Surapadman. After the war, he married Devasena (daughter of Indra) and later Valli (a gypsy girl devotee). Murugan is the most worshipped deity in Tamil Nadu — the patron deity of the Tamil people.

Significance

Murugan is the most important deity in Tamil Nadu, where he is considered the patron god of the Tamil people. He is also widely worshipped in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and other regions with Tamil diaspora. The six heads (Shanmukha) symbolize the five senses plus the mind — Murugan represents mastery over all of them. The Vel (spear) is the symbol of divine wisdom that destroys ignorance. Murugan is worshipped as both a fierce warrior (against evil) and a tender youth (especially in his romance with Valli). His worship is central to Tamil culture — the Thai Pusam festival, the Kanda Shasti Vratam, and the Panguni Uthiram are major Tamil festivals. The Arupadaiveedu (six abodes) of Murugan in Tamil Nadu are the holiest Murugan temples. He is also worshipped as Skanda, Kumara, Subramanya, and Shanmukha in different regions.