Kartikeya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Kartikkeya)
"Muruga" redirects here. For the 2007 film, see Muruga (film).
"Murugan" redirects here. For the people with the name, see Murugan (surname).
For the 2014 film, see Karthik (film). For given names see Karthikeyan, Karthik, Kartik or, see Karthika (disambiguation).

Kartikeya
God of War and Victory
The Hindu God Skanda
A Statue of Kartikeya in Batu Caves temple
Other namesMurugan, Subrahmanya, Kumara, Skanda, Saravana, Shadanana, Devasenapati, Shanmukha, Guha
AffiliationDeva
AbodeKailasha
PlanetMars
Mantra
  • Oṃ Saravaṇa Bhava Om Saravaṇa Bhavāya Namaḥ[1]
  • Kandanukku Arohara Vetrivel Muruganukku Arohara[2]
Weapon
AnimalsIndian Peafowl, Chickens, Snakes[3]
DayTuesday
ColorRed
MountIndian peafowl
GenderMale
Festivals
Personal information
Parents
Siblings
ConsortDevasena
Part of a series on
Hinduism
Origins
Historical

Traditional

Traditions
Major traditions
Deities
Other major Devas / Devis
Vedic:
Post-Vedic:
Concepts
Worldview
Ontology
God
Mokṣa-related topics:
Mind
Ethics
Practices
Worship, sacrifice, and charity
Meditation
Philosophical schools
Other schools
Gurus, sants, philosophers
Modern
Texts
Divisions
Rigveda:
Yajurveda:
Samaveda:
Atharvaveda:
Society
Four varnas:
Varna-less:
Varna-related topics:
Other society-related topics:
Other topics
Hindu culture
Hinduism and other religions
Part of the series on
Kaumaram
Deities
Murugan (Kartikeya)
Parents
Shiva
Parvati
Brother
Ganesha
Consorts
Devasena
Valli
Sacred symbols
Weapons
Vel
Cock flag
Birds
Peacock
Cock
Texts and Scriptures
Six sacred abodes
Other temples
Festivals

Kartikeya (Sanskrit: कार्त्तिकेय, IAST: Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Kumara,[4] Murugan, Mahasena, Shanmukha and Subrahmanya, is the Hindu god of war and victory.[5][6][7] He is a son of Parvati and Shiva, and the brother of Ganesha and Ashokasundari and many other children of Parvati and Shiva and a god whose story has many events in Hinduism.[8] An important god in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times, Kartikeya is particularly popular and predominantly worshipped in the Indian subcontinent and the entire world as an important god.[5][6][8]

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 fire god Agni, shows that he is a significant god in Hinduism from ancient times to today.[5] He is found in many medieval temples all over India, such as at the Ellora Caves and Elephanta Caves.[10]

The form of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is an ever youthful man, riding and near an Indian Peafowl, called Paravani,[11] dressed with weapons sometimes with a cock in the flag he holds. Most icons show him with one head, but some show him with six heads reflecting the story of his birth in which he is raised by the six Krittikas.[5][6][8] He grows up quickly into a philosopher and a warrior, kills Tarakasura and all Asuras and Asuris, teaches the pursuit of ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta.[6][7] He has inspired many Hindu saints, such as Arunagirinathar.[7][12]

Kartikeya is found as a primary god in Hindu temples wherever communities of the Hindu people live all over the world, particularly in the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry states of India and all of India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Maladives, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and Réunion. He has six main temples dedicated to him in Tamil Nadu.[7] The Kataragama temple dedicated to him in Sri Lanka attracts Tamils, Sinhalese people and the Vedda people.[9] He is also found in other parts of the Indian subcontinent as Skanda, in an important role along with Ganesha, Ashokasundari, his other brothers and sisters, Parvati, Shiva.[6]

Etymology and nomenclature

A Statue of the god Skanda, from Kannauj, Uttara Pradesham, 8th century CE.

Kartikeya is known by numerous names in all the religious texts of Hinduism. Most common among these are Murugan, Kumara, Skanda, and Subrahmanya. Others include Ayyan, Seyyon, Senthil, Velan, Svaminatha ("the king of the gods and goddesses", from -natha meaning king), Saravanabhava ("the one born amongst the reeds"), Shanmukha ("the six-faced one"),[13] Dandapani ("the wielder of the spear", from -pani meaning hand), Guha ("the one of the cave"), Kadhirvela, Kathiresa, Kartikeya, Vishakha and Mahasena.[14] In ancient coins where the inscription has survived along with his images, his names appear as Kumara, Brahmanya, Brahmanyadeva.[15] On some ancient Indo-Scythian coins, his names appear in Greek script as Skanda, Kumara, Vishaka.[16] In ancient statues, he appears as Mahasena, Skanda, Vishakha.[17]

Skanda is derived from skanda, which means "leap".[18] In Kalidasa’s epic poem Kumarasambhava (“The Birth of Kumara”; 5th century CE), as in the story, the gods and goddesses wished for Skanda to be born in order to kill the demon Tarakasura, who had been granted a boon that he could be killed only by a son of Shiva and Parvati. They sent Parvati to induce Shiva to marry her. Shiva, however, was lost in meditation and was not attracted to Parvati until he and she were struck by two arrows from the bow of Kamadeva, the god of love, whom he and she immediately burned to ashes and ressurected. After Shiva and Parvati mated, Shiva and Parvati’s seeds were so hot that the gods and goddesses, fearing the results that the universe will be burned, sent Agni and Svaha, the god and goddess of fire, to take the seeds of Shiva and Parvati. Agni and Svaha received the seeds of Shiva and Parvati and dropped it into the Ganga river, where Skanda was born and Skanda kills Tarakasura and all Asuras and Asuris.[19]

Kartikeya means "the one of the Krittikas".[6] This epithet is also linked to his birth. After he appears on the banks of the Ganga river, he is seen by the six of the seven brightest stars cluster in the night sky called Krittikas in Hindu texts (Pleiades star cluster). These six goddesses all want to take care of and nurse Kartikeya. Kartikeya ends their argument by growing five more heads to his one head have a total of six heads so he can look at all six mothers, and let them each nurse one.[6][20] The six Krittikas are Shiva, Sambhuti, Priti, Sannati, Anasuya and Kshama.[21]

Textual references

Ancient

There are ancient references which are Kartikeya in the Vedic texts, in the Ashtadhyayi of Panini (500 BCE), in the Mahabhasya of Patanjali and in Chanakya's Arthashastra.[22] For example, the term Kumara appears in hymn 5,2 of the Rig Veda.[23][note 1] The Kumara of verse 5.2.1 mentions Skanda. The rest of the verses mention the boy as bright-colored, hurling weapons and other motifs which are possessed by Skanda. Even through Indra, Agni, Rudra are also depicted in similar terms and as warriors, the verses show it is Skanda himself.[24]

Kartikeya with a Kushan devotee, 2nd century CE.

The Skanda-like motifs that mention Skanda and other gods are found in Rig Veda are found in other Vedic texts, such as section 6.1-3 of the Shatapatha Brahmana.[25] In these, the mythology is very different for Kumara, as Agni is described to be the Kumara whose mother is Aditi and whose father is Kashyapa.[23] The section 10.1 of the Taittiriya Aranyaka mentions Sanmukha (six faced one), while the Baudhayana Dharmasutra mentions a householder's rite of passage that involves prayers to Skanda with his brother Ganesha together.[26] The chapter 7 of the Chandogya Upanishad (800 BCE–600 BCE) mentions Skanda, as he teaches sage Narada to discover his own Atman (soul, self) as a means to the ultimate knowledge, true peace and liberation.[27][28][note 2]

According to Fred Clothey, the evidence suggests that Kartikeya mythology had become widespread in 200 BCE at the Indian subcontinent.[30] The first clear evidence of Kartikeya's importance emerges in the Hindu Epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata where his story is recited. In addition to textual evidence, his importance is affirmed by the archeological, the epigraphical and the numismatic evidence of this period. For example, he is found in numismatic evidence linked to the Yaudheyas, an Punjabi kingdom in Punjab who are mentioned by ancient Panini.[31] They ruled an area consisting of modern era Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttara Pradesham (extending into the Grihavala region in Uttarakhandam).[31] They struck coins bearing the image of Skanda, and these coins are dated to be from before Kushan Empire era started.[31] During the Kushan dynasty era, that included much of the north and west regions of the Indian subcontinent, more coins featuring Kartikeya were minted.[31] He is also found on ancient Indo-Scythian coins, where his various names are minted in Greek script.[16][note 3]

The coins of the Yaudheyas feature Kartikeya, and these are dated to 1st century CE Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttara Pradesham.[33]

Kartikeya was revered in many regions of the ancient Indian subcontinent. For example, he was a major god for the Ikshvakus, an Andhra dynasty, as well as for the Gupta Empire.[34] In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, eight of the early Pallava dynasty kings (300 CE-550 CE) were named after Skanda or Kumara, suggesting the significance of Kartikeya by then.[35] Kalidasa's epic poem the Kumārasambhava features Kartikeya.

In Tamil literature

The Tolkāppiyam, one of the most ancient texts of the Tamil literature, mentions Sēyyōṉ "the red one", who is Murugan, whose name is literally Murugaṉ "the vigorous one"; the other gods referred to in the Tolkāppiyam are Māyyōṉ "the black one" (Vishnu), Vēntaṉ "the kingly one" (Indra) and Korravai "the victorious one" (Parvati) and Kadalon "the watery one" (Varuna).[36] Extant Sangam literature works, dated between the 3rd century BCE and the 5th century CE glorified Murugan, "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent," as "the favoured god of the Tamils."[37] Parvati and Shiva are the mother and father of Skanda.[38]

In the Tirumurukāṟtruuppaṭai, he is called Murugan and described as a god of beauty and youth, with phrases such as his body glows like the sun rising from the emerald sea. It describes him with six faces each with a function, twelve arms, him killing all Asuras and Asuris, and the temples dedicated to him in the hilly regions.[39]

Puranas

Kartikeya is mentioned in all Puranas. Of these, the Skanda Purana is the largest Mahāpurāṇa, a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts.[40] The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is part of Hindu literature,[41] titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parvati, who is also known as Kartikeya and Murugan.[42] While the text is named after Skanda, he does not feature either more or less prominently in this text than in other Puranas.[42] The text has been an important historical record and influence on the Hindu traditions related to war-god Skanda.[42][43] The earliest text titled Skanda Purana likely existed by the 6th-century CE,[44][45] but the Skanda Purana that has survived into the modern era exists in many versions.[46]

Buddhism

Early texts

The earliest mention of this god in Buddhist texts is found in the Janavasabha Sutta of the Pali Canon, where he is referred to as Sananakumāra. Here he is a deva of the rank of Mahābrahmā and a disciple of the Buddha.

The Chinese translation of the Dīrgha Āgama features the same god with the title Brahmāsananakumāra (梵童子). He is a Mahābrahmārāja. He has five hair coils (頭五角髻), a handsome face (顏貌端正) and emanates purple-golden light (紫金色) that surpasses the light of the other devas and devis.

Skanda as a Bodhisattva is the Dharma protector in Mahayana Buddhism.[47] Above: Skanda's statue in Anhui province, China.

Theravada

According to Richard Gombrich, Skanda has been an important god in Theravada Buddhism pantheon, in countries such as Sri Lanka and Thailand. The Nikaya Samgraha describes Skanda Kumara as a guardian deity of the land, along with Vishnu, Saman and Vibhishana.[48] Similarly, the 16th-century Siamese text Jinakalamali mentions him as a guardian god. There are Buddhist Sinhala shrines such as at Kataragama dedicated to Skanda which have historically been officiated by Hindu priests, which attracted Buddhist devotees and enjoyed royal support.[48] Since the 1950s CE, states Brian Morris, the Kataragama shrine of Skanda has attracted over half a million devotional pilgrims every year, most being Hindus and Buddhists.[49][50]

Mahayana

The Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra mentions Kumāra as one of the eighty gods and goddesses (八十神) worshiped by the common people.

The Ārya Kaṇikrodhavajrakumārabodhisattava Sādhanāvidhi Sūtra (聖迦抳忿怒金剛童子菩薩成就儀軌經) (T 1796) features a section for the recitation of a mantra dedicated to the god, where he is also paired with Iśvara and Iśvari. Yi Xing's Commentary of the Mahāvairocana Tantra (大毘盧遮那成佛經疏) clarifies that Kumāra is the son of Iśvara and Iśvari.[51]

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, the god Kataragama deviyo is a form of Kartikeya and he is a popular god possessing devotion from both Tamil Hindus and Sinhalese Buddhists. While many regard him as a bodhisattva, he is also associated with sensuality and retribution. Anthropologist Gananath Obeyesekere has suggested that the god's popularity among Buddhists is due to his power to grant emotional gratification, which is in stark contrast to sensual restraint that characterizes Buddhist practice in Sri Lanka.[52]

China

In Chinese Buddhism, Skanda (also sometimes known as Kumāra (鳩摩羅天)) is known as Weituo (韋陀), a young heavenly general, the guardian god of local monasteries and the protector of Buddhist dharma.[53][54] According to Henrik Sørensen, this representation became common after the Tang period, and became well established in the late Song period.[55] He is also regarded as one of the of the twenty-four celestial guardian deities, who are a grouping of Hindu deities adopted into Chinese Buddhism as dharmapalas.[56] Skanda was also adopted by Korean Buddhism, and he appears in its woodblock prints and paintings.[55]

Jainism

Asko Parpola says that the Jain god Naigamesa, who is also referred to as Hari-Naigamesa, is mentioned in Jain texts as riding a peacock and as the leader of the divine army of the gods and goddesses is Kartikeya.[5]

Iconography

The six-headed Skanda riding his peacock with the one-headed Devasena and Valli and his peacock is holding his snake under his feet.
Kartikeya (Kâtkâ Dyao) is worshipped by the Hajongs of East India in this form where he is holding his bow and arrow.

Ancient coins of the Yaudheyas, dated to the 1st century CE and the 2nd century CE, show Kartikeya as a warrior with either one or six heads. Kushan coins show him with one head. In general, a single head for him is far more common regardless of which dynasty minted them.[57] The earliest statues discovered in Punjab and Kashmira show him with either one or six heads. The oldest sculptures such as those found in Mathura show him with one head, while six head iconography is dated to post-Gupta Empire era.[58] All Kushan Empire era artwork show him with one head, even though there are Hindu deities with multiple heads.[20]

The Kushan Empire era statues of Kartikeya, dated to 1st century CE and 2nd century CE, have been found at various sites in the Indian subcontinent, particularly at Mathura and Gandhara. They show him as a warrior dressed in armour like a warrior, spear in his right hand and a cock in his left.[59][60] There is some difference between his ancient iconography in Mathura and Gandhara artwork. The Gandhara arts show him in more a Scythian dress, likely reflecting the local dress culture prevalent in those times. Further, it is in the oldest Gandharan statues where he is shown with a cock.[61] According to Richard Mann, the cock shows Kartikeya's agility and maneuverability as a warrior god.[61] His iconography symbolizes his attributes as a hunter, warrior and philosopher.[62]

Kartikeya's iconography shows him as a youthful god, dressed as a warrior, carrying the weapon called Vel. It is a divine spear, often called as shakti, and it is his main weapon.[63] He has many weapons including: a sword, a javelin, a mace, a discus and a bow although more usually he is depicted wielding the spear. His vahana (mount) is a peacock. He has either one head or six, depending on the region or artist.[64][65]

History

A 7th century CE Skanda statue from Prey Veng Province, Cambodia.[66]

The epic Hindu literatures recite numerous stories of Kartikeya, often with his other names such as Skanda. For example, the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata dedicates chapters 223 to 232 to the legends of Skanda, but depicts him as the son of Agni and Svaha.[26] Similarly, Valmiki's Ramayana dedicates chapters 36 and 37 to Skanda, but describes him as the son of Shiva and Parvati, whose birth is aided by Agni and Svaha and Ganga.[67][68]

The legends of Kartikeya vary significantly, sometimes within the same text. For example, while the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata describes Skanda as the son of Agni and Svaha, the Shalya Parva and the Anushasana Parva of the same text presents Skanda's legend as the son of Shiva and Parvati.[26]

In Vana Parva, the circumstances behind Kartikeya's birth legend do not involve Shiva and Parvati mating and giving birth to him.[69] Rather it is the god Agni who goes to a hermitage of seven married Saptarshis and meets their seven wives in the Himalayas. He is sexually attracted to all seven, but none reciprocate. Svaha is present there and she is attracted to Agni, but Agni is not. In the story, Svaha takes the form of six of the wives, one by one, and mates with Agni.[69] She does not take the form of Arundhati, Vasishtha's wife, because of Arundhati's extraordinary virtuous powers in order to protect her. Svaha and Agni deposit their eggs and semen into the reeds of river Ganga, where it develops and then is born as six headed Skanda among the reeds.[69]

A totally different story in the Shalya Parva and Anushasana Parva of the Mahabharata involve Shiva and Parvati as the parents. They mate and they take their gametes and fertiliser them.[6] Shiva and Parvati's semen and eggs are incubated in the river Ganga, preserved by the heat of god Agni and goddess Svaha, and this god is born as Kartikeya on the banks of the Ganga river in its reeds.[6][18]

A Granite statue of Karttikeya seated on his peacock from 12th-century CE Andhra Pradesham.

Devas and Devis have been defeated by Asuras and Asuris led by Tarakasura, because Tarakasura had a boon from Shiva and Parvati that only Shiva and Parvati's son can kill him. Devas and Devis learn about this boon, and Parvati and Shiva give birth to Skanda along with many other children and Skanda kills Tarakasura and all Asuras and Asuris.[70]

According to Raman Varadara, Murugan or Kartikeya was originally a Tamil god, who is also a Sanskrit god.[71] He was the god of war in Hindu mythology, and became so elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent too.[71] In contrast, G. S. Ghurye states that according to the archeological and epigraphical evidence, the contemporary Murugan, Subrahmanya and Kartikeya is a composite of two influences, one from south and one from north in the form of Skanda and Mahasena.[72] He as the warrior-philosopher god was the patron god for many ancient northern and western Hindu kingdoms and empires, and of the Gupta Empire, according to Ghurye. After the 7th century CE, Skanda's importance diminished while his brother Ganesha's importance rose in the west and north, while in the east and south the legends of Murugan continued to grow.[72][73] According to Norman Cutler, Kartikeya-Murugan-Skanda of South India and North India coalesced over time, but some aspects of the South Indian iconography and mythology for Skanda have remained unique to Tamil Nadu.[74]

Skanda is married to Devasena in Mahabharata.[75][71] Many of the major events in Skanda's history take place during his youth, and legends surrounding his birth are popular in Tamil Nadu. Skanda's power, glory, strength, greatness was much celebrated in Sanskrit works like the Kathasaritsagara. Kalidasa made the birth of Skanda, the subject of a lyrical epic, the Kumārasambhava.[67][76]

Theology

Guha (Kartikeya)

You who has form and who is formless,
you who are both being and non-being,
who are the fragrance and the blossom,
who are the jewel and its lustre,
who are the seed of life and life itself,
who are the means and the existence itself,
who are the supreme guru, come
and bestow your grace, O Guha [Murugan]

—Kantaranuputi 51, Arunagirinathar
(Translator: Kamil Zvelebil)[77]

There is extensive Hindu symbolism and theology associated with Kartikeya. In his birth story, he is born after being left in the Ganga river. He is raised not by his natural mother and father but a six foster-mothers, but later he becomes a part of his biological family. Kartikeya symbolizes a union of contraries.[78] He is great warrior and a powerful yogi. He uses his creative martial abilities to lead an army against Tarakasura and all Asuras and Asuris and kills Tarakasura and all Asuras and Asuris, and is a philosopher-warrior.[6][7] He is a uniter, championing the attributes of both Shaivism and Vaishnavism.[79]

His theology is most developed in the Tamil texts,[12] and in the Shaiva Siddhanta tradition.[6][7] He is described as dheivam (abstract neuter divinity, nirguna Brahman), as kadavul (divinity in nature, in everything), as Devan (masculine deity), and as iraivativam (concrete manifestation of the sacred, saguna Brahman).[80]

According to Fred Clothey, as Murugan (also referred to as Kartikeya, Seyyon), he embodies the "cultural and religious whole that comprises South Indian Subcontinental Shaiva Siddhanta".[78] He is the philosopher and exponent of Shaiva Siddhanta theology, as well as the patron god of the Tamil language.[62][81][82]

Worship

Within India

Southern India

Murugan with Devayani (on right of image) and Valli (on left of image).

Kartikeya is a major god among the Hindus of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Tamil Nadu

He is considered the god of Tamil language and he is mentioned a lot in Sangam literature.[37] The six abodes of Murugan are all in Tamil Nadu. Each of these temples has a unique history and different reason to worship Murugan and Devayani. In Thirupparamkunram Murugan Devayani Temple, he and she are worshipped as the killers of all evil demons and demonesses. As per tradition, devotes who go to the six abodes of Murugan and Devayani tonsure their head in imitation of Murugan and Devayani at Palani.

  • Thai Poosam during January – February month is celebrated as a 6-day festival. On Thai Poosam day, Kavadis and Palkudams are taken by devotees in procession around Chhedanagar. Special Abhishekams are performed to the Moolavar and Utsavar. Annadhanam is provided to all devotees participating in the functions. In the night, Lord Muruga is taken in procession accompanied by Nadasvaram, Veda Parayanam around Chhedanagaram.[83]
  • Vaikasi Visakam day, (during May –June month), Kavadis and Palkudams are taken by devotees in procession around Chhedanagaram.[83]
  • Skanda Shashti during October–November month is celebrated as a 6-day festival. Spiritual discourses by learned scholars and music concerts by popular artists from all over the Indian subcontinent are organized.[83]
Worship of Kartikeya of West Bengal, with toys (on the right side of image).

West Bengal

In West Bengal, Kartikeya is associated with the birth of children. He is worshipped on the last day of the month of Kartika (October-November). It has become a trend in Bengal that the clay model of the god is kept at night before the day of worship (usually by friends) for the newly married couple before the door of their house. The god is worshiped the next day in the evening and is offered toys.[84]

The god Kartikeya is shown in the left side of the image, below the goddess Sarasvati, accompanied by his brother Ganesha, Lakshmi and Parvati as Durga killing Mahishasura during Navaratri.

The deity is also worshipped during the Durga Puja festival in Bengal. Goddess Parvati as Durga is accompanied by her four companions Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Ganesha, and Kartikeya. Kartikeya is the youngest of them visualized as a young man, riding a peacock and wielding a bow and arrows. He is stated to be Kumara, that is, a child. While Ganesha is paired with the rich Lakshmi, Kartikeya is paired with the learned Sarasvati.[85]

Beyond India

Nepal

Kartikeya is worshipped as Kumara in Nepal both by Hindu and Buddhist communities. The Nevaha community celebrates Sithi Nakha: Festival dedicated to Sithi Kumara. Sithi Nakha (Kumara Shashti) is celebrated on this sixth day of the waxing moon, according to the lunar calendar, in the lunar month of Jeshtha. The festival is celebrated by cleaning water sources like wells, ponds and stone spouts and ending it with a grand Nevaha feast of six different varieties of Nevahi food including Vaa (fried lintel bread) and Chatamari (Nevaha Pizza). The Festival is traditional Environment day as houses, courtyards, streets and allies are cleaned during this day. It is believed that cleaning such water sources will bring in rain for good cultivation of crops. It is also celebrated to welcome monsoon as this was the ideal time to set up rice seedbeds. The most of Nevaha communities also mark the festival as the end of Deepavali, to worship their family deities.

Malaysia

Kartikeya is revered by the Hindus in Malaysia and other South-East Asian countries such as Singapore and Indonesia. Thaipusam is one of the important festivals celebrated. Sri Subramanyar Temple at Batu Caves temple complex in Malaysia is dedicated to Kartikeya. There are some other temples in Malaysia such as:

Sri Lanka

Kartikeya is worshipped by the Sinhalese as Kataragama deviyo also by Sri Lankan Tamils as Murugan, a guardian deity of Sri Lanka. Numerous temples exist throughout the island. He is a favourite god of the common folk everywhere and it is said he never hesitates to come to the aid of a devotee when called upon. In the deeply Sinhalese south of Sri Lanka, he is worshipped at the Kataragama temple, where he is known as Kataragama deviyo. Local legend holds that Murugan alighted in Kataragama and was smitten by Devayani, one of the goddesses in Kataragama who wanted to marry him. After a courtship, they were married. This event is taken to signify that Murugan is accessible to all who worship and love him, regardless of their birth or heritage. The Nallur Skanda temple, the Maviddapuram Skanda Temple and the Sella Channithi Temple near Valvettiturai are the three foremost Murugan temples in Jaffna. The Chitravelayutha temple in Verukal on the border between Trincomalee and Batticaloa is also noteworthy as is the Mandur Skanda temple in Batticaloa. The late medieval-era temple of the tooth in Kandy, dedicated to the tooth relic of the Buddha, has a Kataragama deiyo shrine adjacent to it dedicated to the veneration of Skanda in the Sinhalese tradition. Almost all Buddhist temples house a shrine room for Kataragama deviyo reflecting the significance of Kartikeya in Sinhala Buddhism.

The Sri Lankan Nallur Skanda Temple (Jaffna) is dedicated to Murugan (Kartikeya).

By the 16th century CE, the Kataragama temple had become synonymous with Skanda-Kumara who was a guardian god of Sinhala Buddhism.[90] The town was popular as a place of pilgrimage for Hindus from India and Sri Lanka by the 15th century CE. The popularity of the god at the Kataragama temple was also recorded by the Pali chronicles of Thailand such as Jinkalmali in the 16th century CE. There are number of legends both Buddhist and Hindu that attribute supernatural events to the very locality.[90] Scholars such as Paul Younger and Heinz Bechert speculate that rituals practiced by the native priests of Kataragama temple betray Vedda ideals of propitiation. Hence they believe the area was of Vedda veneration that was taken over by the Buddhist and Hindus in the medieval period.[91]

Hindus in Réunion.

Temples

Kartikeya temples are popular in hilly regions such as the Western Ghats. Above: the 12th century CE Maruthamalai Marudhachalamurti Temple in Koyamputhur.
Maruthamalai Marudhachalamurti Temple in lights.
Murugan Temple of North America.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Within India

South India

In Tamil Nadu:

The above six temples are dedicated to Kartikeya as their primary god.[92] These six temples in Tamil Nadu, together are referred to as Aru Padaiveedu (Tamil: ஆறுபடை வீடு), that are mentioned in Tirumurukarruppatai, written by Nakkiranar and in Thirupukal, written by Arunagirinathar.[93][94]

Kerala

There are many temples dedicated to Subramanya in Kerala such as:

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Karnataka

North India

Delhi
Haryana
Punjab
  • Achaleshvara Temple in Gurdaspura.[108]
Chandigarh
  • Sri Kartikeya Svami Temple.[109]
Himachal Pradesham
  • Kartikeya Svami Temple in Manali.[110]
  • Kartikeya Svami Temple in Chamba.[111]
Uttrakhandam
  • Kartikeya Svami temple above Rudraprayaga.[112]
Madhya Pradesham
  • Kartikeya Mandiram, Gvalior. It opens for a single day once in a year.[113]
Gujarat
  • Sri Balamurugan Devasthanam in Ahmedabad.[114]
Maharashtra
  • Kartikeya Svami Thirumal Murugan Temple.[115]
  • Tiruchembur Murugan Temple, Chembur, Mumbai.[83]
West Bengal
  • Sri Ganesha & Murugan Temples in Kolkata.[116]

Outside India

Sri Lanka

Malaysia

Thaipusam festivities near the Batu Caves, Malaysia.

Indonesia

Singapore

  • Sri Dandayudhapani Temple in Singapore is a major Hindu temple.[120]
  • Arulmigu Velmurugan Jnana Munishvaran Temple, 50 Rivervale Cres Sengkang, Singapore.
  • Sri Holy Tree Balasubramanyam Temple.
  • Sri Murugan Hill Temple, 931 Upper Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore.

United States

  • Sri Shiva Murugan Temple in Concord, Northern California.[121]
  • Murugan Temple of North America in Maryland, Washington DC.
  • Carolina Murugan Temple (planned) in Chatham County, North Carolina. To include the tallest statue of Murugan in the world.[122]

Canada

United Kingdom

Australia

New Zealand

Switzerland

South Africa

Fiji

Notes

  1. ^ कुमारं माता युवतिः समुब्धं गुहा बिभर्ति न ददाति पित्रे । अनीकमस्य न मिनज्जनासः पुरः पश्यन्ति निहितमरतौ ॥१॥ कमेतं त्वं युवते कुमारं पेषी बिभर्षि महिषी जजान । पूर्वीर्हि गर्भः शरदो ववर्धापश्यं जातं यदसूत माता ॥२॥ हिरण्यदन्तं शुचिवर्णमारात्क्षेत्रादपश्यमायुधा मिमानम् । ददानो अस्मा अमृतं विपृक्वत्किं मामनिन्द्राः कृणवन्ननुक्थाः ॥३॥ क्षेत्रादपश्यं सनुतश्चरन्तं सुमद्यूथं न पुरु शोभमानम् । न ता अगृभ्रन्नजनिष्ट हि षः पलिक्नीरिद्युवतयो भवन्ति ॥४॥ (...) Hymn 5.2, Wikisource;
    English: "The youthful Mother keeps the Boy in secret pressed to her close, nor yields him to the Father. But, when he lies upon the arm, the people see his unfading countenance before them. [5.2.1] What child is this thou carriest as handmaid, O Youthful One? The Consort-Queen hath bome him. The Babe unborn increased through many autumns. I saw him born what time his Mother bare him. [5.2.2] I saw him from afar gold-toothed, bright-coloured, hurling his weapons from his habitation, What time I gave him Amrta free from mixture. How can the Indraless, the hymnless harm me? [5.2.3] I saw him moving from the place he dwells in, even as with a herd, brilliantly shining. These seized him not: he had been born already. They who were grey with age again grow youthful. [5.2.4]
    – Translated by Ralph T.H. Griffith, Wikisource
  2. ^ Verse 7.26.2 states Kumara is Skanda, but there are stylistic differences between this verse and the rest of the chapter. This may be because this verse was interpolated into the text at a later date.[29]
  3. ^ Richard Mann states that Skanda-Kumara may be composite deity linked to Greek deities pair called Dioscuri (Castor and Pollux), given the numismatic overlap in their iconography and similar warrior-god mythologies.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 9 June 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ^ "The meaning of arohara". Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  3. ^ [1]Archived 25 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ James G. Lochtefeld 2002, p. 377.
  5. ^ a b c d e Asko Parpola 2015, p. 285.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k James G. Lochtefeld 2002, pp. 655–656.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 1–2.
  8. ^ a b c Constance Jones & James D. Ryan 2006, p. 228.
  9. ^ a b G Obeyesekere (2004). Jacob Kẹhinde Olupona (ed.). Beyond Primitivism: Indigenous Religious Traditions and Modernity. Routledge. pp. 272–274. ISBN 978-0-415-27319-0.
  10. ^ T. A. Gopinatha Rao 1993, p. 40.
  11. ^ "::: ENVIS :::". ecoheritage.cpreec.org. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  12. ^ a b Mohan Lal 1992, p. 4339.
  13. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 80.
  14. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 1, 22–25, 35–39, 49–58, 214–216.
  15. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 104-106 with footnotes.
  16. ^ a b Edward Thomas (1877). Jainism: Or, The Early Faith of Aṣoka. Trübner & Company. pp. 60, 62 (see e.g. coin 11). Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  17. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 123–124.
  18. ^ a b Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 49, 54–55.
  19. ^ "Skanda | Hindu deity". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  20. ^ a b Doris Srinivasan 1997, pp. 302–303, 333–334.
  21. ^ The Sacred Books of the Hindus, Vol 21, Rai Bahadur Srisa Chandra Vidyaranya, p29, The Panini Office (Bhuvaneswari Asrama), 1918.
  22. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 49–53.
  23. ^ a b Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 49–51.
  24. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 46–51.
  25. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 48–50.
  26. ^ a b c Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 50–51.
  27. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 49–50.
  28. ^ The Thirteen Principal Upanishads Archived 25 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Robert Hume, Oxford University Press, pages 250-262
  29. ^ The Thirteen Principal Upanishads Archived 25 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Robert Hume, Oxford University Press, page 262 with footnote 3
  30. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 45–46.
  31. ^ a b c d Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 101-105 with footnotes.
  32. ^ Benjamin Fleming; Richard Mann (2014). Material Culture and Asian Religions: Text, Image, Object. Routledge. pp. 234–246. ISBN 978-1-135-01373-8. Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  33. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 101–103.
  34. ^ Ratna Navaratnam; Karttikeya, the divine child:the Hindu testament of wisdom, 1973, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan
  35. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, p. 22.
  36. ^ Journal of Tamil Studies, Volume 1. International Institute of Tamil Studies. 1969. p. 131. Archived from the original on 13 November 2017.
  37. ^ a b Kanchan Sinha, Kartikeya in Indian art and literature, Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan (1979).
  38. ^ Korravai Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine 2017-11-1. Britannica Online
  39. ^ The Smile of Murugan on Tamil Literature of South India Archived 23 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine, by Kamil Zvelebil (1973), E.J. Brill, pages 125-127
  40. ^ Ganesh Vasudeo Tagare (1996). Studies in Skanda Purāṇa. Published by Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 81-208-1260-3
  41. ^ Hans Bakker 2014, pp. 4–6.
  42. ^ a b c Rocher 1986, pp. 114, 229–238.
  43. ^ KK Kurukkal (1961), A Study of the Karttikeya Cult as reflected in the Epics and the Puranas, University of Ceylon Review, Vol. 19, pages 131-138
  44. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, p. 187.
  45. ^ Hans Bakker 2014, pp. 1–3.
  46. ^ Doniger 1993, pp. 59–83.
  47. ^ Robert E. Buswell Jr.; Donald S. Lopez Jr. (2013). The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton University Press. p. 452. ISBN 978-1-4008-4805-8. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  48. ^ a b Richard Francis Gombrich; Gananath Obeyesekere (1988). Buddhism Transformed: Religious Change in Sri Lanka. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 176–180. ISBN 978-81-208-0702-0. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  49. ^ Brian Morris (2006). Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge University Press. pp. 68–69. ISBN 978-0-521-85241-8. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  50. ^ Kevin Trainor (2004). Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. Oxford University Press. pp. 123–124. ISBN 978-0-19-517398-7. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  51. ^ Chia, Siang Kim (2016). "鳩摩羅天". Digital Dictionary of Buddhism. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  52. ^ Trainor, Kevin, ed. (2001). Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 123. ISBN 0-19-521849-3.
  53. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, p. 32 with footnote 24.
  54. ^ Angela Falco Howard (2006). Chinese Sculpture. Yale University Press. pp. 373, 380–381. ISBN 0-300-10065-5. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  55. ^ a b Henrik Sørensen (2011). Charles Orzech; Henrik Sørensen; Richard Payne (eds.). Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras in East Asia. BRILL Academic. pp. 124–125, 654–655 with footnotes. ISBN 978-90-04-18491-6. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  56. ^ A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms : with Sanskrit and English equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali index. Lewis Hodous, William Edward Soothill. London: RoutledgeCurzon. 2004. ISBN 0-203-64186-8. OCLC 275253538.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  57. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 111–114.
  58. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 113–114, 122–126.
  59. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 122–126.
  60. ^ Doris Srinivasan 2007, pp. 333–335.
  61. ^ a b Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 124–126.
  62. ^ a b S. Xavier Alphonse (1997). Kanthapura to Malgudi: Cultural Values and Assumptions in Selected South Indian Novelists in English. Prestige. p. 167. ISBN 978-81-7551-030-2. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017., Quote: "He [Skanda] has been hunter, warrior, philosopher. He is the teacher and inspiration of literature and arts. He is the eternal child, as old as time itself, yet as young as every new beginning. He is the handsome hero and lover, the wise Primordial One."
  63. ^ "Significance of Lord Kartikeya and a story from Skanda Purana". Wisdom by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. 13 November 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2021.
  64. ^ Richard D. Mann 2011, pp. 123-126 with footnotes.
  65. ^ Doris Srinivasan 2007, pp. 333–336, 515–516.
  66. ^ John Guy (2014). Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia. Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 176–178. ISBN 978-1-58839-524-5. Archived from the original on 23 December 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  67. ^ a b Fred W. Clothey 1978, p. 51.
  68. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, p. 54.
  69. ^ a b c Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 51–52.
  70. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 54–56.
  71. ^ a b c Raman Varadara 1993, pp. 113–114.
  72. ^ a b Govind Sadashiv Ghurye (1977). Indian Acculturation: Agastya and Skanda. Popular Prakashan. pp. 152–167. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  73. ^ S. Devadas Pillai (1997). Indian Sociology Through Ghurye, a Dictionary. Popular Prakashan. pp. 159–160. ISBN 978-81-7154-807-1. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  74. ^ Norman Cutler (2008). Gavin Flood (ed.). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. John Wiley & Sons. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-470-99868-7. Archived from the original on 23 December 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  75. ^ Dalal 2010.
  76. ^ Kālidāsa; C.R. Devadhar (Translator) (1985). Kumara-Sambhava of Kalidasa. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. iii–viii. ISBN 978-81-208-0012-0. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017. {{cite book}}: |author2= has generic name (help)
  77. ^ Kamil Zvelebil (1973). The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India. BRILL Academic. p. 243. ISBN 90-04-03591-5. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  78. ^ a b Fred W. Clothey 1978, p. 3.
  79. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 3–4.
  80. ^ Fred W. Clothey 1978, pp. 10–14.
  81. ^ Lochtefeld 2002, p. 450.
  82. ^ Vijaya Ramaswamy (2007). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Scarecrow Press. pp. 152–153. ISBN 978-0-8108-6445-0. Archived from the original on 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  83. ^ a b c d "Cheddanagar Temple". www.thiruchemburmurugan.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  84. ^ 7 Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik
  85. ^ 7 Secrets of the Goddess by Devdutt Pattanaik, ISBN 9789386224033, Durga and Saraswati's Secret (Chapter 4 & 6)
  86. ^ a b "Tour Information". ICHSS. Archived from the original on 27 October 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  87. ^ A, Jeyaraj. "Hindu Temples In Ipoh". ipohecho. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  88. ^ "Ipoh Kallumalai Murugan Temple, Ipoh". Inspirock. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  89. ^ "10,000 celebrate Masi Magam festival Sannayasi Andavar Temple in Cheng". The Star. Archived from the original on 2 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  90. ^ a b Pathmanathan, S (September 1999). "The guardian deities of Sri Lanka: Skanda-Murgan and Kataragama". The Journal of the Institute of Asian Studies. The institute of Asian studies. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010.
  91. ^ Bechert, Heinz (1970). "Skandakumara and Kataragama: An Aspect of the Relation of Hinduism and Buddhism in Sri Lanka". Proceedings of the Third International Tamil Conference Seminar. Paris: International Association of Tamil Research. Archived from the original on 25 September 2010.
  92. ^ Clothey, Fred W. (1972). "Pilgrimage Centers in the Tamil Cultus of Murukan". Journal of the American Academy of Religion. 40 (1): 79–95. doi:10.1093/jaarel/XL.1.79. JSTOR 1461919.
  93. ^ hithra Madhavan, Prema Kasturi (2007). South India Heritage: An Introduction. East West Books (madras) Pvt Ltd. ISBN 978-8188661640. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  94. ^ Outlook, Travelers (30 July 2008). Outlook Publishing (India). 8189449036. ISBN 978-8189449032. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  95. ^ "Sri Subrahmanya Swami Temple". Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  96. ^ Mathew, Biju (September 2017). Pilgrimage to Temple Heritage. Info Kerala Communications. ISBN 978-8192128443. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  97. ^ "Sree Subramanya Swamy Temple". Kerela Tourism. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  98. ^ "Official website of temple". Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  99. ^ "Sri Subrahmanyaswamy Temple, Skandagiri, Secunderabad". Trip Advisor. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  100. ^ "Sri Subrahmanya Devalayam". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  101. ^ "Sir Subrahmanyeswara Swamy Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  102. ^ "Mallamu Subramanyaswamy temple". Prudwi. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  103. ^ "Sri Subramanyeswara Swamy Temple, Mallam". 1nellore. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  104. ^ "Kukke Subrahmanya Temple". Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  105. ^ "Kukke Subramanya temple". Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  106. ^ "Uttara Swami Malai Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  107. ^ "Kartikeya Temple". Haryana tourism. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  108. ^ "About Achaleshwar Temple". Yatra. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  109. ^ "Sri Karthikeya Swami Temple". Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  110. ^ http://kulludussehra.hp.gov.in/devtas-of-manali/kartik-swami/
  111. ^ https://bharmourview.com/bharmour/chaurasi-temple/kelang-or-kartikeya-temple
  112. ^ Times, Hindustan (1 April 2017). "Himalaya's hidden gem: Pilgrimage to Karthik Swami temple". Archived from the original on 8 December 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  113. ^ Jaiswal, Rishi. "Temple dedicated to Shiva's son, Karthikeya opens only once an year". Bhaskar. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  114. ^ "Sri Balamurugan Devasthanam". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  115. ^ "Aalya Thiruppani Kuzhu". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  116. ^ Dutta, Samarpan (26 August 2004). "Temple ties in culture cauldron". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  117. ^ "Kataragama". Lanka. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  118. ^ Star, The. "Tallest statue of deity unveiled". Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  119. ^ "Batu Caves". Britannica. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  120. ^ "Home Page of Sri Thendayuthapani Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  121. ^ "Shiva Murugan Temple". Shiva Murugan Temple. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  122. ^ "Hindu temple headed for banks of Deep River". Chatham News+Record. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  123. ^ "Explanation of Deities". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 22 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  124. ^ "HIGHGATEHILL MURUGAN TEMPLE". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  125. ^ "The London Sri Murugan". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  126. ^ "Leicester Shri Murugan (Hindu) Temple". Registered charities in England. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  127. ^ "Sri Murugan Temple". Official visitor website for Leicestershire. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  128. ^ "Lord Murugan Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  129. ^ "Sydeny Murugan Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  130. ^ "Perth Bala Murugan". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  131. ^ "Kundrathu Kumaran Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  132. ^ "New Zealand Thirumurugan Temple". Official website of temple. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  133. ^ Reeves, Peter (7 March 2014). The Encyclopedia of the Sri Lankan Diaspora. Didier Millet. ISBN 978-9814260831. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  134. ^ "Hinduismus :::: Religionen in der Schweiz / Religions en Suissse :::: Universität Luzern". 2 June 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015.

Bibliography

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Murugan.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kartikeya&oldid=1223010125"