DeityShaivism
Kartikeya: Weapons & Symbols
कार्तिकेयGod of war and wisdom; commander of the army of the gods. Also called Skanda, Murugan, Kumara, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha, Saravanabhava, Guha.
Kartikeya, also called Skanda and Murugan, is the six-faced son of Shiva and Parvati and the commander of the gods' army. Born to destroy the demon Taraka and nursed by the six Krittikas, he rides a peacock and carries the spear Vel. He is the most beloved god of Tamil Nadu.
Iconography and symbolism
Kartikeya is shown as a radiant youth with six faces and often twelve arms, holding the spear Vel, riding a peacock, with a rooster on his banner. In Tamil temples he stands with one face and four arms, often with Valli and Devasena beside him, or as the shaven-headed renunciant of Palani holding a staff.
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