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Ayyappan, Ganesha, Murugan

T he T hree Sons of Shiva
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Lord Shiva, one of the Trimurti or the Divine

Trinity, also known as Rudra, is one of the
most major deities in the Hindu Pantheon.
According to the Shaiva cult, Shiva is
considered to be the Supreme Being.
According to the Smartas, Shiva is revered
as one among the five primary forms of
God.
Except in temples like Chidambaram where Shiva is worshipped as the Dancing
Lord Nataraja, stepping over the demon
Apasmara, who stands for ignorance - Shiva
is usually portrayed and worshipped in the
form of the Shiva linga. Sometimes, he is
also depicted as being in deep meditation.
According to Hindu culture, Brahma and
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Vishnu are the other two deities of the
Trinity. Here, Brahma plays the role of the
SHIVA LINGA
Creator, Vishnu is the preserver and
maintains the Universe, and Shiva is the destroyer. Shiva is also the dynamic force that
transforms. Together, therefore, the Trinity works to maintain the aspects of Srishti,
Sthithi and Laya.

Other names of Shiva

The word Shiva comes from Sanskrit and means, "The Auspicious One". It also means
kind, pure, generous and gracious. Interestingly, in the Rig Veda, the Lord of the Devas,
Indra, uses this word to describe himself! The name, Shiva, could also be used to mean
one who is shorn of the three Gunas, namely, Satva, Rajas and Tamas; and also one who
purifies all by the mere chanting of His name. Swami Shri Chinmayananda, states in his
translation of the Vishnu sahasranama: "Shiva means 'the One who is eternally pure' or
'the One who can never have any contamination of the imperfection of Rajas and
Tamas'". Dravidian tradition gives the meaning "to be red", to the word Shiva. This may
be the equivalent of Rudra, or "The Red". Shiva is worshipped as a major deity not only in
India, but also in Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Physical attributes of Shiva

Shiva is often shown as a three-eyed deity,

residing in the cold and hostile environs of
Mount Kailas. He is portrayed with a crescent
moon (Chandrashekhara) and Devi Ganga
(hence his other name is Gangadhara) on his
head. His hair is matted and he is adorned with
snake and skull ornaments. He is also covered
with ashes and holds a Damaru (small drum)
and Trishula (Trident).
Shiva is said to have burnt down Kama (the
God of Love) with his third eye, when the latter
tried to disturb him during penance. Some
scriptures indicate that Shiva got his name,
Tryambakam, from this attribute of his third
eye. But this is still a controversial matter.
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LORD SHIVA

Shiva is also known as the Neelakantha, the one with

the Blue Throat. During the time of the Samudra
Manthan (churning of the Ocean of Milk), there
emerged from the water the deadly poison, Halahala.
The Devas realized that such was the potency of the
poison, that even a drop of it falling on the Earth could
cause the destruction of the entire planet. Shiva
immediately stepped ahead, took the poison in his
palms and drank it up before it could touch the ground.
Fearing what might happen to her Lord if the poison
entered his body, Parvati, Shiva's consort, gripped his
throat, so as to stop Halahala's downward movement.
This resulted in Shiva's throat becoming blue.
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NEELKANTHA

The Ganga, whose powerful descent Shiva bore on his head, flows in a gentle stream
from his matter hair. Shiva is often shown as being draped in tiger skin, as also sitting on
tiger skin during penance. The Lord is many times also shown to be seated on Nandi, his
Divine Bull. Hence, he also has the name, Nandikeshwara and Pashupati.

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GANESHA, AYYAPPAN AND Murugan - SONS OF SHIVA

Ayyappan or Shasta.

Shiva is depicted in many moods,

of which the Mahakala form is
the most feared. This aspect of
the deity destroys all in sight and
dances his dance of death. He is
also portrayed as a Yogi (ascetic),
Teacher (Dakshinamurthy),
Mrityunjaya, Ardhanareeshwara,
Tripurantaka (slayer of the
demon Tripura), Panchabrahman
(one with the five faces of
Satyojata, Vamaka, Eeshaana,
Tathpurusha and Aghora),
Householder, Consort of Parvati
(Umapati) and father of Ganesha
and Skanda (or Murugan). While
Shiva has these two sons from
Parvati, he also has one
additional son from Mohini
(Vishnu's female avatar), named

Shiva's relationship with Vishnu

Though the Shaivait and Vaishnavite sects each claimed that their Lords were the
Supreme deity, both the deities were viewed as one in the Bhagavata Purana. While
Shiva was considered a manifestation of Vishnu, there is also a legend where Brahma
and Vishnu have been revealed to be emanations from Maheshwara himself.
There are also many stories in Hindu mythology that show both Shiva and Vishnu fighting
the evil forces together and even coming together in combined forms, one of them which
is called the Harirudra.

The Samudra Manthan episode

One such story is that of Mohini.
During the Samudra Manthan
(churning of the Milky Ocean)
episode, Vishnu takes the form of
the seductively beautiful Mohini,
in order to prevent the Asuras
(demons) getting their hands on
the Devamrita (Nectar of
Immortality). The Asuras had
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been called by the Devas to take
part in the churning of the ocean,
SAMUDRA MANTHAN
as they would have a lot more
energy and vigour than the already weak and emaciated Devas to complete the task. But
they knew that if the nectar was consumed by the demons, they would achieve
immortality and then wreak havoc on the entire Universe. This, then, had to be
prevented in some way.

Vishnu hears of the Devas' predicament and offers

to help them regain the Amrita. He takes the form
of Mohini and walks up to the demons, who are
completely enchanted by her beauty and
sensuality. She entices them, saying that she would
be glad to serve the Devamrita to them if they
would let her have the urn filled with the potion.
They gladly accede to her request. Mohini makes
the Devas and Asuras sit in rows, opposite to each
other. She serves the Devas first and then
proceeds to feign disappointment that the Amrita
got over before she could feed the Asuras. In this
way, Mohini prevents the demons from consuming
the Devamrita.

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MOHINI

Mohini and Bhasmasura

Though this was the main mission of Mohini, she also played a major role in other
episodes, such as the Bhasmasura incident, where she subdues and slays the demon
who had the ability to reduce to ashes anyone he laid his hands on. Realising his powers,
Bhasmasura becomes even more ferocious and proceeds to attack Devaloka. Fearing this
demon's mighty powers, all the Devas assembled at Vaikuntha and requested Vishnu to
help them out of this situation. Vishnu again assumes the form of Mohini and approaches
the asura. Seeing her beauty and charm, the demon falls in love with her and proposes
marriage to her.
Mohini promises to accede to his request, provided that the asura dances with her and is
able to match each of her steps with his own. Both dance together for some time, after
which she strikes a pose, keeping her hand on her head. Without thinking, Bhasmasura
also places his palm on his head, thereby reducing himself to ashes and destroying
himself!

Lord Ayyappan
Taming Mahishi the birth of Lord Ayyappan
Mahishi, the asura princess, was very angry with
the Devas after Devi Durga destroyed her beloved
brother, Mahishasura. Hence, Mahishi began a
fearful penance to appease Brahma, who granted
her a boon of being invulnerable to anyone except
the combined strength of Shiva and Vishnu. Drunk
in this power, Mahishi began her dictatorial rule
over the whole world.
The gods requested Shiva and Vishnu to come up
with a solution to this problem. This is when
Vishnu decided to assume the form of Mohini yet
again, so as to procreate with Shiva. Vishnu
explains the entire matter to Shiva and the latter
requests to give him a glimpse of Mohini's form.
Shiva is overcome with passion on seeing "her"
form and unites with her. Lord Ayyappan is born
from this union of Hari and Hara.
Ayyappan combines the strength of both Vishnu
and Shiva and hence, is invincible. Lord Vishnu
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gifts the new-born infant with a small bell necklace
and hence this deity is also hailed as Manikanthan
DURGA - SLAYER OF MAHISHASURA
Swamy. In Tamil Nadu, Shasta is also called
Ayyanar or Shasthappan. While in Tamil Nadu, the legend ends with the birth of the god,
the story in Kerala continues with Ayyappan's adoption by the Pandalam Raja, and his
fulfilling the mission of destroying Mahishi.
Shasta's other names include Dharmasasta, Hariharasutan, Sathanar, Sastan, Cattan,
Ayyanar, Natrayan, Nattarasan, Bhutanathan, Pandala Raja, Kumararaja, Ariyan,
Hariharanputhran and PampaVaasan.

Ayyappan's childhood
Lord Ayyappan was adopted by the King of Pandalam, a
district in Kerala. Raja Rajasekhara was the ruler
Pandalam at the time. The Raja heard a child wailing on
the banks of the River Pampa when he was on a
hunting expedition. Puzzled, he moved in the direction
of the voice to find a beautiful infant there. The
resplendent baby lay there with a gemstone bell tied
around his neck. The king had no children and so, was
thrilled by the sight of this lovely but abandoned child.
He was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and his queen
was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. They had prayed long to
their deities to bless them with a child. Now, the Kind
accepted the child as God's response to their prayers
for an heir to the throne.

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AYYAPPAN

Manikantan was given the right kind of education and

grew into a handsome boy, well versed in academics
and martial arts such as Kalaripayattu, then the
common tradition in Kerala. The Cheerappanchira Kalari
at Muhamma, in Alappuzha District thoroughly trained

him in the martial arts.

In the meantime, the Rani too gave birth to a son. But the king still regarded Manikantan
as his elder son and hence, decided to crown him as the Yuvaraja (heir).
The King's minister was always against Manikantan becoming the heir to the throne, so
he, along with his cronies, manipulated the Rani and asked her to fight the king's
decision. On Manikantan's coronation day, the queen pretended to suffer from
tremendous stomach ache. As planned, a fake practitioner was called in and prescribed
"the milk of a tigress" as the cure of the queen's illness. As no one else dared to come
forward to complete the task, Manikantan himself volunteered and went to the forest in
search of tigress milk. The king tried in vain to stop him and was constantly praying for
his safety, hoping he would come back alive.

Manikantan returns victorious

Manikantan enters the forest, comes face-to-face with the terrible demoness Mahishi and
slays her almost effortlesslly. In doing this, he also releases a beautiful woman who had
been cursed to become Mahishi. This young lass asks Ayyappan for his hand in marriage,
but he declines, as he has vowed to be a celibate. However, he gives her his word that
she would be would be housed right next to his temple and would be visited by pilgrims.
He also said that he would marry her if the number of new pilgrims stopped. Now, that
young lady is worshiped as Maalikapurathamma. Some versions of the story say that
Maalikapurathamma was a young girl in Cheerappanchira family where Ayyappan was
trained for Kalari.
Manikantan then enters the palace riding the very
tigress, followed by her cubs. The minister, convinced
of Ayyappan's divinity, confesses to his plot and prays
to him for salvation and the wellbeing of the kingdom.
Manikantan disappeared forthwith, but since the king
refused to eat anything if Manikantan did not come
back, he gave his foster father one more Darshan
before ultimately leaving.
Ayyappan embraced the King, thereby granting him
Moksha (salvation). The king requested the Lord to
allow him to build a temple for him. The Lord then shot
an arrow that fell at the peak of Sabrimala and asked
the King to construct the temple there. Ayyappan also
explained how the Sabarimala pilgrimage shall be
undertaken, emphasizing the importance of Penance
Vratams (austerities) and what the devotees can attain
by His Darshan. The sacred Sabarimala shrine now lies
north of the holy river Pampa.

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AYYAPPAN TAMES THE TIGRESS

Annual miracle at Sabarimala

The Lord also promised that on the day of the Thai Pongal, that is, January 14 every year,
he would manifest and give all darshan as the Makara Jyoti, a bright flame emerging in
the sky, just above the mountainous region. On this day, all of Ayyappan's
Tiruvaabharanam (personal jewellery) is taken from the palace and transported to the
shrine, by an emissary travelling on foot. A detailed puja and aarti is performed before
taking the jewels from the palace.

Immediately after the aarti, the Krishnaparintha or an eagle flies overhead, almost as if it
was instructed to do so. It circles around above and follows the devotees all the way to
the shrine. This also serves as a cue to the temple authorities to make preparations to
adorn the deity. This journey is undertaken on the 12th and 13th of January and reaches
Sabarimala on January 14. There is an Aarti immediately after adorning the Lord with the
jewellery.
Here too, the Lord shows his devotees a miracle. Just as the Arti concludes, the Makara
Jyoti appears on the east side of the Temple, up above the Hills of Kanthamalai. The light
appears almost instantly after the aarti and never fails to thrill the millions of devotees
who have gathered on the opposite side to get a darshan of the Lord in His Effulgent
Form!

Offering of Naivedyam and Prasadam

Ayyappan is offered Appam and Aravana Payasam as Naivedyam (ritual offering). One
other prasadam offered by the temple to the devotees is the Rthumathikanji, a kind of
porridge made with one measure rice and five measures of jiggery. It is believed that
Malikappurattamma one day offered this to Manikantan, who liked it very much.
Thereafter, he requested her to prepare it for him everyday. Now, it is treated as a holy
Prasadam for the devotees.

Pilgrimage to Sabarimala
The Sabarimala temple, inaugurated by Lord Parasurama (one of the ten avatars of
Vishnu), is quite small, with 18 steps constructed above the ground, each representing a
desire one must conquer in one's life. These steps have now been coated in gold. The
original idol was made of wood. Devotees commonly chant, "Swamiye Sharanam
Ayyappa".
The pilgrimage to Sabarimala commences from the first day of Vrichikam, a Malayalam
month, coming in the middle of November. The Makarasankranti Day is the most vital
and is the first day of the Makara month. It falls between January 14 and 16. Devotees,
having undertaken 41 days of Vratham, throng the temple on this day. It is believed that
a devotee who does this will attain Moksha. Ayyappan is referred to as Kaliyugavaradan
for this very reason, as he grants liberation during this difficult epoch of Kaliyuga.

The Vratam
Devotees undertaking the Vratam before
undertaking the Sabarimala pilgrimage have to
observe severe austerities. They initiate the Vratam
by wearing a Tulasi (sage) or Rudraksha necklace.
The male and the female pilgrims are addressed as
ayyapan and Maalikapuram respectively. The
devotees must practice simple living and total
cleanliness and hygiene. He also abstains from
alcohol, tobacco and non-vegetarian food. Personal
adornments, hair cutting and shaving are forbidden.

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RUDRAKSHA MALA

The devotee additionally wears black/blue/saffron

clothes and is expected to pray daily, both in the
mornings and evenings. The vratam continues till
the pilgrim returns from his pilgrimage to Sabarimala
and removes his `mala' after breaking a coconut and
offering prayers.

The Vratam has to be undertaken after getting permission from parents and the
Guruswamy or the Periyaswamy. After this the date is fixed to commence the vritham.
The previous day before the said date one has to offer prayers to one's family deity and
make a holy knot with yellow cloth with 1.25 currency units within and present it to the
family deity, thereby taking Her/His permission to commence the vritham.

Lord Ganesha
The Elephant-headed Lord, Ganesha, also known as Ganpati, Vighneshwara, Vinayaka
and Pillaiyar, is one of the most popular deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found
throughout India and Nepal and extends to Jains and Buddhists, even to other regions
beyond India. Ganesha is generally regarded as the Remover of Obstacles and the Lord
of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, also the Patron of arts and sciences and the Lord of
Buddhi and Siddhi (intellect and wisdom). As Vighneshwara, He is offered obeisance at
the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters. Ganesha
emerged a distinct deity during the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period.
Today, Ganesha is one of the primary Gods in Hinduism.
The name, Ganesha or Ganapati, is a combination of the Sanskrit words, Gana (group of
Ganas or Shiva's attendants) and Isha or Pati (Lord/Master). The Amarakosha, an early
Sanskrit glossary, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarja, Dvaimtura
(one who has two mothers), Gadhipa (same as Ganapati), Ekadanta (one who has one
tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly), and Gajanana (having the face of
an elephant).
Ganesha is a very versatile deity, who is portrayed in many ways. He may be depicted
sitting, reclining, standing, dancing, playing with his family, or engaging in a range of
contemporary situations. Some recent fancy Ganesha idols available in the market today,
even show him in coat and suit, with a mobile phone in hand!

Physical attributes of Ganesha

Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big

belly. He has four arms and a broken tusk. His
trunk turns to his left or right, depending on the
region where the idol was made. Generally,
Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one
upper arm and a noose in the other upper arm.
The lower right hand shows the viewer a gesture
of protection or fearlessness (abhaya mudra),
while the lower left hand holds a sweet modak.
Ganesha's vahana (vehicle) is the Mushika (rat)
and is often shown as being seated at His feet.
The Ganesha Purana shows the Lord wrapping the
serpent King, Vasuki, around his neck or even
stomach. Other depictions include him with a
yagnopavita (sacred thread), holding the Trisula
(Trident) in one hand and seated on a throne.
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Upon Ganesha's forehead is sometimes shown a
third eye or the traditional Shaivite Tilak, which
LORD GANESHA
consists of three horizontal lines of Vibhuti. The
Ganesha Purana also talks about Ganesha with a crescent moon on the forehead this
form is called the Balachandra.

Significance of Ganesha's Vahana, the Mushika

The Mushika or the rat is a stealthy animal,
which is forever running around, causing a
general nuisance to one and all around. The
mushika signifies our stealthy mind, which
is always looking for a crooked way out of
any situation. The vahana, resting at
Ganesha's feet, signifies that the Lord takes
control of a devotee who surrenders to His
will. He keeps the devotee's mind in his
control, preventing it from playing havoc
with the seeker, calming and soothing him
down, allowing him to focus his full
attention on the Lord.
Interestingly, Ganesha had also been
portrayed with the lion in his incarnation as
Vakratunda, with a peacock as Vikata and
Shesha and with a divine serpent in his
avatar as Vighnaraja. According to the
Ganesha Purana, Mohotkata has a lion,
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Mayrevara has a peacock, Dhumraketu
GANESHA WITH MUSHIKA
has a horse, and Gajanana has a rat. Even
Jain images of Ganesha show his vahana
variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram and peacock.

Reason for Ganesha's being Elephant-headed

There are many stories as to how Ganesha became the elephant-headed Lord. Some
texts claim that Ganesha was born with it, but most others relate that he acquires this
head later.
The most popular story narrates how Ganesha was born with a human head and body
and that Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva
then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Parvati once collected all
the sandalwood paste on her body and made a figure of a little boy out of it. She then
gave it life and asked this son of hers to guard the gate when she went to bathe. When
Shiva tried to enter the premises, the boy denied him entry, which made the former
furious enough to behead him. When Parvati came out and saw what happened, she was
absolutely devastated and asked Shiva to replace his head immediately. Shiva, not
finding another human head at the time, fixed an elephant's head on the boy's shoulders.
In another story, the Shani Devata (Saturn), who is known to have an evil eye, looked at
Ganesha, turning the baby's head to ashes. Vishnu then jumped to the rescue and
replaced the infant's head with that of an elephant.

Ganesha the Omkaraswarupa

Lord Ganesha is also likened to the holy
mantra of Aum, the Primordial Sound that
created the whole Universe. The Ganapati
Atharvashirsa, as translated by Swami
Chinmayananda, says the following:
(O Lord Ganapati!) You are the Divine
Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha. You
are Indra. You are Agni (Fire) and Vayu (Air).
You are the Surya (Sun) and the Chandrama
(Moon). You are the Brahman (the Supreme
One). You are the three worlds, Bhuloka
(earth), Antariksha-loka (space), and
Swargaloka (heaven). You are all this you
are the Om.
In fact, many depictions of Ganesha's body
actually resemble the shape of the Aum as
written in the Devanagari and Tamil scripts.

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LORD GANESHA INTEGRATED WITH OM

Ganesha as the Mooladhara Moorthy

According to Kundalini Yoga, there are seven chakras or spiritual centers in the subtle
body. Ganesha is said to reside in the very first chakra, the Mooladhara. The word,
"Mooladhara" is a combination of "Moola" or "original/fundamental" and "Adhara" or
"base/foundation". It is said that Ganesha stabilizes and supports all the other chakras in
one's sukshma sharira.

Ganesha the Wise One

Ganesha has a brother named Kartikeya or
Skanda. He is also hailed as Murugan and by
other names as well. In North India, Skanda
is said to be the older sibling, while in the
South, Ganesha is considered to be the elder
brother. There are many stories which talk of
sibling rivalry between the brothers. One of
the most common is the Jnana Pazham (Fruit
of Wisdom) incident.

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GANESHA WITH SHIVA AND PARVATI

One day, the Rishi, Narada, presents a Jnana

Pazham to Shiva and Parvati. The couple is in
a fix, as they do not know which of their sons
to give it to. Then Shiva announces a
contest, saying that the first child who goes
round the whole world and comes back first
would be the one to get the fruit. Murugan
feels thrilled at this prospect. He climbs onto
his vahana, the peacock, and immediately
leaves Kailas in order to go around the
world. Ganesha realizes that it would be
impossible for him to fulfil the task, seated
on his own vahana, the mouse. He thinks for

a while and then comes up with a brilliant idea.

Ganesha humbly bows before his parents and after getting their blessings, circles them
three times and then asks them for the fruit. Shiva and Parvati are surprised and enquire
as to how this could happen. To this, he replies, "You are my world, so by circling you, I've
circled the whole world". Shiva and Parvati are pleased with his wisdom and humility and
at once hand over the fruit to Ganesha.
When Murugan gets back and sees what has happened, he is furious at being tricked and
proceeds to Palani.

Ganesha's worship Ganesh Chaturthi

Ganesha, who is largely a universally loved God, is
generally worshipped before the start of any occasion,
function or even business venture. His most popular
prayers are "Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah and Om Gam
Ganapataye Namah. Devotees also offer Ganesha
sweets like modaks and laddus. He is often shown
carrying a bowl of sweets, called a modakaptra. He is
also sometimes worshipped with red sandalwood paste
(raktacandana) or red hibiscus flowers. Durva grass or
Cynodon dactylon and other materials are also used in
his worship.
Ganesh Chaturthi, which falls in the shuklapaksha (the
fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month of
Bhaadrapada (August/September) is the major festival
associated with the Elephant-headed Lord. This festival
ends on Ananta Chaturdashi day, when Ganesh murtis
or idols are immersed in a body of water. Lokmanya
Tilak transformed this annual Ganesha festival from
private family celebrations into a grand public event in
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the year 1893. This was done mainly to bridge the gap
between the various Hindu sects in existence at the
GANESHA CHALISA - BOOK OF PRAYERS
time. Today, this has become a global event, with
people from all religions and communities coming together to pray to their favourite God.

Main temples of Ganesha

Being the God of Transitions, Ganesha is placed at the doorway of most Hindu temples.
But in addition to all these, he also has several temples dedicated just to his worship. The
Ashtavinayak temples in Maharashtra are among the most famous. Each of these eight
shrines is located within about a 100 kilometer distance from Pune and is dedicated to
each of the eight forms of Ganpati. Each of these temples has a legend of its own.
Together, they form the "mandala", forming the sacred cosmos of Ganesha.
The Siddhi Vinayak temple in Mumbai, India, is also one of the most famous Ganesha
temple in the city, and is said to be extremely powerful as well. There are also other
temples in Wai, Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi, Gujarat,
Tiruchirapalli, Rameshwaram, Suchindram, Chennai, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
There are many Ganesha temples in many foreign countries too, including Nepal, Sri
Lanka, Europe and America.

Lord Murugan

Kartikeya or Murugan, also called Subramanian, is

another son of Shiva and an equally popular Hindu
deity, especially among Tamil Hindus. Muruga or
Murugan is predominantly revered in regions which
have a clear Tamil influence, such as South India,
Singapore , Sri Lanka , Malaysia and so on. Even
Malaysian Tamils pray to Lord Murugan during the
period of Thai Pusam.

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Lord Murugan is far more popular in South India than

any other region of India. He is commonly regarded as
the God of War and the protector and patron deity of
Tamil Nadu. He is known by many other names,
including Saravana, Senthil, Arumugam or Shanmukha
('one with six faces'), Kumara ('child or son'), Guhan
('cave-dweller'), Skanda, Velan (the one with the spear)
and Swaminatha.

MURUGAN

Murugan in Tamil Literature

The emergence of Murugan as a popular God in Tamil Nadu dates back as early as the
10th Century B.C. The Tolkappiyam, which is supposedly the most ancient of the extant
Sangam works, glorified Murugan thus: "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is
ever young and resplendent," as "the favoured god of the Tamils." In fact, the ancient
Sangam Literature talks about Murugu as a certain nature spirit, which had been
worshipped with animal sacrifices and was also associated with a non-Brahmin priest
known as a Velan. This name later came to be used for the deity himself.
At the time, Murugu had often been worshipped in the woods and other open places. The
rituals practiced included the Veriyaattu, a form of ritual-trance-dancing, which is,
interestingly, still a common part of Murugan worship in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and even
parts of Malaysia. Murugu was believed to wield power over the chaotic and could be
appeased by sacrifices and Veriyaattu to bring order and prosperity.

In Sanskrit Literature
Murugan emerges in Sanskrit literature too, as early as the first millennium BCE. Here,
there are references to Subrahmanya in Kautilya's Arthashastra; in the treatises of
Patanjali, in Kalidasa's epic poem the Kumarasambhavam as also in the famous Sanskrit
drama, Mricchakatika. Ancient communities of people such as the Kushanas, Yaudheyas,
Ikshvakus and Guptas worshipped an image very closely related to that of Skanda.
During the time of Adi Sankara, followers of Kumara formed one of the six principal
religious Hindu sects. Even today, many Saivait temples have an idol of Subramanya
installed at the left side of the main deity.

Murugan slays Surapadma

Sati, the daughter of Daksha, self-immolates at her

father's Yagna (sacred fire ritual). When Shiva, her
consort, comes to know of this, he is furious and
rushes to the site of the Yagna. After having
destroyed the Yagna, he picks up Sati's body and
walks away into the forest. Shiva is extremely sad
and lonely and completely withdraws from the
material world and immerses himself in meditation
in the Himalayas. Sati is then reborn as Parvati, the
daughter of the Mountain King, Himavan.

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SHIVA LIFTS SATI'S CORPSE

Parvati is deeply in love with Shiva and

visits his cave every single day. She cleans
up the place, places flowers at his feet and
implores him to look at her. So intense is
her desire to appease Shiva that she
refuses to eat even a morsel of food or
drink a sip of water. She sheds all her
clothes and royal finery and meditates,
completely immune to the harsh weather
conditions in the Himalaya. This is how
Parvati gets her name as Uma and Aparna.
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PARVATI PINES AND PRAYS FOR LORD SHIVA

At around this time, the cruel demon Surapadman wreaked havoc on the earth. The gods
realized that only Shiva's offspring would have the courage and valour to lead the gods
to victory over Tarakasuran, Surapadman and their entire asura clan. They hatch a plan
along with Kamadeva (the God of Love), to shoot flower arrows at Shiva, so as to make
him fall in love with Parvati. Kamadeva aims his arrow and lets it go to Shiva, who is
tremendously incensed at being disturbed during penance. He opens his third eye and
instantly burns down Kamadeva to ashes. Shiva lays his eyes on Parvati and is
immediately attracted towards her. Together, they leave for Kailas.
The sparks of this fire are so strong, that even Agni Deva (God of Fire) finds it impossible
to tolerate it. The river Ganga transports the six sparks to a place located at the mouth of
the Ganges, called Saravana Poigai. Here, the six sparks become six children and are
raised by the six Krittika or Kartika, the stars making up the Pleiades. This is how
Murugan gets his name, Kartikeya.

When Parvati sees the children, she is appalled, wondering how she would be able to
raise six of them at the same time. The children immediately fuse into one child with six
faces and twelve arms. Hence, his name also came to be Shanmukha or Aarumukha. His
birth at the Saravana Poigai gave him the name Saravanabhava.
Murugan then went on to become the supreme general of all the demi-gods and also
successfully led armies of Devas for their fights against asuras. This gave Kartikeya the
name, Devasenapati. He traveled to six sites at while leading his armies against
Surapadman. They are Tiruttanikai, Swamimalai, Tiruvavinankudi (Palani),
Pazhamudirsolai, Tirupparamkunram and Tiruchendur. All these six sites have become six
beautiful, ancient, temples and are collectively known as "Arupadai Veedu", meaning, the
six battle camps of the Lord.

Legends related to Murugan

There are various legends on Murugan, which are also recounted differently from treatise
to treatise. One such legend shows Kartikeya helping out Shiva fight and defeat the
newborn Ganesha.
The evil demon, Taraka, has a boon that only a son of Shiva would be able to slay him.
This is soon after Sati's death, so Taraka takes it for granted that Shiva would not at all
get remarried, and hence, would not have a son to call his own. It is believed that
Murugan manifested for the sole purpose of killing Tarakasura.
After Murugan shifts to Palani following the Jnana Pazham incident, Shiva rushes to him in
order to console him. Shiva says that he (Murugan) was himself the Fruit of Wisdom.
Hence, the term Pazham Nee' (you are the fruit) came to be coined later as Palani'.

Physical attributes
Lord Kartikeya is portrayed as a very beautiful deity, with six heads and twelve arms.
This is also one reason why he is often termed as Azhagan (the handsome one). The six
heads represent the six siddhis or spiritual powers. This also corresponds to his role as
the bestower of the six siddhis. Murugan is often shown riding a peacock, holding his Vel
or the Divine Spear or Lance, flanked by his two wives, Valli and Devayani. He is
sometimes also depicted wielding other weapons like a sword, mace, discus, javelin and
bow.
The spear, with which he is usually portrayed, symbolizes his being capable of purifying
human ills and protecting his devotees from negative forces. Murugan's vahana, the
peacock, stands for the destruction of ego and vanity that the peacock stands for.
It is said that Murugan split the asura Surapadman into two halves, one of which became
his mount, the peacock and the other, the rooster flag, which he holds in his left hand.

Marrying Valli
Murugan's marriage with Valli is actually a very interesting incident. The King Nambi
Rajah of Chittoor was the king of the hunter tribe and had seven sons. He was desperate
to have a beautiful daughter. In the meantime, the sage Sivamuni, who was in penance
in the forest, happened to catch sight of a female deer and his mere sight resulted in the
animal becoming pregnant. It so happened that the deer delivered a baby girl and
abandoned her.
King Nambi, who had been on a hunting expedition in the forest, saw the lovely babe,
brought her home and treated her as his own daughter. She was named Valli. She
nurtured the thought of Murugan even from her tender age and was determined to have
Him as her Husband and none else. When she came of marriageable age, Nambi Rajah,

sent her to 'tinaippunam' (field growing the tinai millet). She was asked to keep vigil
sitting on a high rise rostrum, so as to protect the crop from birds and the like. At this
time, Valli also received guru diksha from sage Narada who foretold that Murugan would
end up marrying her. The sage also informed Murugan about how much in love Valli was
with him.
Murugan decided he would not accede to marrying Valli all too easily. So he began to play
a leela with her. He first came to her as a hunter but she did not respond to his overtures.
He then turned into a giant venkai tree when Valli's father suddenly came to visit her. He
then took the form of a very hungry old man and greedily ate up the millet flour and
honey mixture offered by Valli. Then, much to the chagrin of Valli, he proposed marriage
to her.
Valli became aggressive and proceeded to chide him for his misdemeanour. Finally,
Murugan invoked the blessings of His elder brother Ganesha for success of His mission.
Ganesa appeared at once, taking the form of a wild tusker and began to chase Valli.
Terrified by the elephant, Valli ran for protection and came straight into the arms of
Murugan.

Valli and Devayani

Valli and Devayani, Murugan's consorts, were actually
Sundaravalli and Amudavalli. It is said that they were
born out of the tears of joy of Narayana when He
incarnated as Trivikrama. Both these beautiful damsels
did intense penance for attaining status as Murugan's
consorts. Pleased with their prayers, Murugan appeared
before them and ordained that Amudavalli would be
born in Devaloka as Indra's daughter, while
Sundaravalli would take birth on the earth in a hunter
tribe.
Murugan also promised to marry both Valli and
Devayanii. The marriage of Murugan and Devayani took
place with great pomp and with full Vedic rights at
Tirupparankundram. Devayani was gifted to Murugan
by Lord Indra as a symbol of his gratitude for the
heroism and valour displayed by Murugan as the
Devasenapati and His ultimate triumph over the
asuras.

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MURUGAN WITH VALLI AND DEVYANI

The Kavadi Attam

The Kavadi Attam is a dance performed at the time of the ceremonial worship of
Murugan, during Thai Pusam, revering him as the God of War. This is symbolic of the
devotees carrying a physical burden, imploring the Lord to release them from material
bondage.
There is a story behind this Kavadi. Lord Shiva once entrusted the dwarf saint sage
Agastya to carry two hillocks and install them in South India. But the sage asked his
disciple, Idumban to get them instead. Idumban could not initially lift the hillocks, until he
obtained divine help. Idumban put the hillocks down to rest awhile, near Palani. When he
attempted to continue with his journey, he found that the hillocks were immovable.

Idumban then sought the help of a scantily dressed youth, who said that the hillocks
belonged to him. In the ensuing scuffle, Idumban was defeated. Idumban realized then
that the youth was none other than Lord Murugan. Idumban pleaded to be pardoned and
asked that anyone who comes to the hills to worship Murugan with an object similar to
the two hillocks suspended by a rod, may be granted his heart's desire. Idumban's wish
was granted. That is how the kavadi came to play its role in Hindu festivals.

Lifting the Kavadi

The Kavadi is made up of twin semicircular pieces of wood or steel, bent over and
attached to a cross structure that can be balanced on the shoulders of the devotee. It is
usually decorated with flowers and peacock feathers. Some of the Kavadis can weigh up
to 30 kilograms!

The Vel Kavadi

The Vel Kavadi is the most spectacular object of worship. A sort of altar up to two meters
tall, it is decorated with peacock feathers and attached to the devotee through 108 vels
or spears, pierced into the skin on the chest and back. Fire walking may also be
practiced. It is claimed that devotees, at this time, are able to enter a trance, feel no
pain, do not bleed from their wounds and have no scars left behind.
But not all Kavadi types involve extreme physical endurance. Some devotees merely
carry a brass jug of milk on their heads while others carry small pots with offerings for
their Lord.

Worship of Murugan in India

Murugan is particularly worshipped for a six day period
of fast and prayer in the Tamil month of Aippasi known
as the Skanda Shasti. He is also venerated during Thai
Pusam, celebrated by Tamil communities worldwide,
near the full moon of the Tamil month Thai. This is
symbolic of the day when Murugan was given a Vel by
his mother, Parvati, in order to vanquish the asuras.
Thirukarthigai or the full moon of the Tamil month of
Karthigai signifies his birth. Each Tuesday of the Tamil
month of Adi is also dedicated to the worship of
Murugan.

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MURUGAN WITH HIS PLACESOF
WORSHIP

Kartikeya's popularity in North India receded from the

Middle Ages onwards, and except in some regions of
Haryana, his name was almost totally unknown. There
is a very famous Murugan temple in Pehowa town in
Haryana. Women stay away from this temple, as it
celebrates the Brahmachari form of Kartikeya. Other
temples include those at Achaleshwar, near Batala in
Punjab; one on top of a hill in Pune, Maharashtra and in
Bengal, where he is worshipped during the Durga Puja
festivities alongside Durga.

In Kerala, the Subramanya temple in Haripad and the Udayanapuram Subrahmanya

Swamy temple in Kottayam are two of the several temples dedicated to the worship of
Murugan. In Tulu Nadu, there is the famed temple called Kukke Subramanya Temple,
where Murugan is worshipped as the Lord of the serpents.

Murugan's worship abroad

In Sri Lanka, Murugan is venerated by both Tamil Hindus and Sinhalese Buddhists.
Several temples exist throughout the island. He is a favorite deity in this part of the world
and it is believed he never hesitates to come to the aid of a devotee when called upon.
In the south of Sri Lanka, Kartikeya is worshipped at the temple in Kataragama
(Kathirkamam), where he is hailed as Katragama Deviyo (Lord of Katragama) or
Kathiravel. This temple is next to an old Buddhist place of worship. Local legend holds
that Lord Murugan alighted in Kataragama and was smitten by Valli, one of the local
aboriginal lasses. After a long courtship, they got married.
The Nallur Kandaswamy temple, the Maviddapuram temple and the Sella Channithy
temple near Valvettiturai are important Murukan temples in Jaffna. The Chitravelautha
temple in Verukal on the Trincomalee border and the Mandur Kandaswamy temple in
Batticaloa are equally famous. 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.
The most famous Murugan temple in Malaysia is located at the Batu Caves, very close to
Kuala Lumpur. There is a 42.7m high statue of Lord Murugan at the entrance to the Batu
Caves, which is the largest Lord Murugan statue in the world. Sri Thendayuthapani
Temple in Tank Road, Singapore, is yet another major Hindu temple where each year the
Thai Pusam festival takes place with devotees of Lord Murugan carrying Kavadis seeking
penance and blessings of the Lord.
The Highgate Hill Murugan temple in the UK is one of the oldest and most famous. In
London, Sri Murugan temple in Manor park is a well known temple.
In Sydney, the Murugan temple in Parramatta (Mays Hill) is a major Hindu temple for all
Australian Hindus, whereas, in the USA, teh Shiva Murugan Temple in Concord, Northern
California and The Murugan Temple of North America in Maryland, Washington DC region
are extremely popular. In Toronto, Canada, Canada Kanthasamy Temple is known
amongst many hindus in Canada.
The Sri Sivasubramaniar Temple, located in the Sihl Valley in Adliswil, is the most famous
and largest Hindu temple in Switzerland.

This article was written by Saipriya Viswanathan. Saipriya is a teacher/performer of

Bharata Natyam, Carnatic vocal music and Carnatic Veena. She is a recipient of several
awards for both dance and music, including the Sur Mani and Singar Mani titles. She is a
recipient Govt. of India Merit Scholarship for dance and is a diploma holder in Carnatic
vocal music.
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