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Murugan: the young god of the Tamil hills
मुरुगन्
Murugan is the son of Shiva and Parvati and the commander of the gods' army, known in the north as Kartikeya or Skanda and in Karnataka as Subrahmanya. In Tamil Nadu he is something more: the patron god of the Tamil language and the god of the hills. He is shown as an ever-young man, often with six faces, holding a spear called the vel and riding a peacock.
Story
Born to lead the gods' army against the demon Tarakasura; six mothers of the Krittika stars nursed him, hence Kartikeya. His six abodes in Tamil Nadu are a pilgrimage circuit of their own.
Family and companions
✅ Symbols and iconography
Most of his attributes come straight out of his stories.
- The vel — His spear, given to him, in Shaiva tradition, by his mother Parvati as the embodiment of her shakti (power). Devotees cry Vetrivel Muruganukku Arogara, "victory to Murugan of the vel".
- Six faces — As Shanmukha, "six-faced", he recalls his birth as six children joined into one. Most images show one head, some show six.
- Peacock and rooster — The peacock is his mount and the rooster the emblem on his banner. In the Kanda Puranam both are the two halves of the demon Surapadma, split by the vel.
- Valli and Devayanai — In Tamil tradition he has two consorts: Devayanai (Devasena), daughter of Indra, and Valli, daughter of a hill chief. In the north and east he is usually a bachelor.
The key stories
His birth is told in several ways. In the Shiva Purana the demon Tarakasura has a boon that only a son of Shiva can kill him, which is why the gods need the ascetic Shiva to marry [Parvati](/en/deities/parvati/). In the Tamil Kanda Puranam six sparks from Shiva's faces are carried by the wind and fire gods to the Ganges, then to the reed lake Saravana, where they become six babies. The six Krittikas (the stars of the Pleiades) nurse them, and Parvati joins them into one. Hence two of his names: Kartikeya, "of the Krittikas", and Saravanabhava, "born in the reeds", the name in his mantra.
Grown, he leads the gods' army and kills Tarakasura and finally Surapadma, in the last battle at Tiruchendur on the sea coast. The same text has the boy teach his father the meaning of Om.
Palani's story is gentler. The sage Narada brings Shiva a fruit of knowledge, promised to whichever son first circles the world three times. Murugan flies off on his peacock; [Ganesha](/en/deities/ganesha/) walks round his parents and wins. Hurt, Murugan gives up everything and goes to live on the hill at Palani, where he is worshipped as Dhandayuthapani: a young renunciant with shorn hair, a loincloth and only a staff.
How he is worshipped
Most Murugan temples stand on hills, since he is the god of Kurinji, the hill country of classical Tamil poetry. The best-known vow is the kavadi, a wooden or steel arch carried on the shoulders, often with pots of milk, on the walk to his temple; its most extreme form, with hooks and skewers through the skin, is seen above all at Thaipusam. Devotees also shave their heads in fulfilment of a vow, and temples give panchamritam, a sweet of banana, honey, ghee and jaggery, as prasad.
The mantra on this page, Om Sharavanabhavaya namah, and the short chant Om Saravana Bhava call him by his birthplace in the reeds. The Tiruppukal of Arunagirinathar and the Kanda Shashti Kavasam are the Tamil hymns most associated with him.
Murugan temples
An old saying holds that wherever there is a hill there is a temple to Murugan.
Bengaluru
[Shrungagiri Sri Shanmukha Swami](/en/bengaluru/shrungagiri-sri-shanmukha-swami-temple/) in Rajarajeshwari Nagar: a hilltop temple whose tower carries six giant faces of the god, best at sunset.
The Six Abodes
The Arupadai Veedu of Tamil Nadu, praised in Sangam-era poetry: Thiruparankundram, Tiruchendur on the sea coast, Palani in the Palani Hills, Swamimalai, Tiruttani and Pazhamudircholai.
Karnataka and Kerala
Kukke Subramanya on the Kumaradhara river in Dakshina Kannada and Ghati Subramanya, where he is worshipped as lord of the serpents; in Kerala, Haripad.
Beyond India
Kataragama and Nallur in Sri Lanka, and the Batu Caves in Malaysia, with a 42.7-metre statue of the god at the entrance.
Festivals
His festivals follow the Tamil calendar. Thaipusam, on the full moon of the month of Thai (January–February), marks his victory over the demon Surapadma (in Shaiva tradition, also the day his mother gave him the vel) and is the great kavadi day. Kanda Sashti, in Aippasi or Karthigai, recalls the defeat of Surapadma. Vaikasi Visakam (May–June) is his birthday, Panguni Uthiram (March–April) celebrates his marriage to Devasena, and Karthigai Deepam lights lamps on the Kartika full moon.
❓ FAQ
What is Murugan the god of?
Of war and victory as commander of the gods' army, and of youth; Tamil devotees also see him as the patron of the Tamil language.
Are Murugan and Kartikeya the same god?
Yes. Scholars describe the Tamil hill god Muruga merging over time with the Sanskrit Skanda-Kartikeya; Subrahmanya and Shanmukha are other names of the same deity.
Who is older, Ganesha or Murugan?
It depends on the region: in the north Skanda is usually the elder brother, while in the south Ganesha is considered the firstborn, as the Shaiva Puranas also say.
Why does Murugan have two wives?
In Tamil tradition Devayanai, daughter of Indra, is given to him for saving the gods, and Valli, a hill chief's daughter, he wins later; folklore makes both daughters of Vishnu in a previous birth, destined for him.
What is the Murugan mantra?
Om Sharavanabhavaya namah, "homage to the one born in the reeds", or the short Om Saravana Bhava. At festivals you will hear Vetrivel Muruganukku Arogara.