Kartikeya (Sanskrit: कार्त्तिकेय, IAST: Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Kumara,[4], Murugan and Subrahmanya, is the Hindu god of war.[5][6][7] He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, brother of Ganesha, and a god whose life story has many versions in Hinduism.[8] An important deity around South Asia since ancient times, Kartikeya is particularly popular and predominantly worshipped in South India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia as Murugan.[5][8][6] Kartikeya is an ancient god, traceable to the Vedic era. Archaeological evidence from 1st-century CE and earlier,[9] where he is found with Hindu god Agni (fire), suggest that he was a significant deity in early Hinduism.[5] He is found in many medieval temples all over India, such as at the Ellora Caves and Elephanta Caves.[10] The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near a peacock, dressed with weapons sometimes near a rooster. Most icons show him with one head, but some show him with six heads reflecting the legend surrounding his birth.[5][8][6] He grows up quickly into a philosopher-warrior, destroys evil in the form of demon Taraka, teaches the pursuit of ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta.[6][7] He has inspired many poet-saints, such as Arunagirinathar.
