Murugar

Murugan also known as Kartikeya or Kandhan is the Tamil god of war and victory. Kartikeya is the main god worshipped in India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Singapore, Malaysia and many other places of the world where Tamilans live. Kartikeya has six shrines in Tamil Nadu, which are known as Arupadaiveedu. In Tamil Nadu, Kartikeya has continued to be popular with all classes of society. Kartikeya is considered the son of Shiva and Parvathi, who was created to kill the Asuras and be the eternal protector of the Devas and other living beings. The Asuras were demigods who frequently warred against the Devas or gods. The six sites (padaiveedu) in Tamil Nadu where Kartikeya sojourned while leading his armies are Palani, Swamimalai, Thiruparamkundram, Pazhamudirsolai, Thiruthani and Thiruchendur, the Arupadaiveedu. The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an Indian peafowl, called Paravani and sometimes with an emblem of a rooster upon his banner. He wields a spear weapon called vel, supposedly given to him by his mother Parvati. While most icons represent him with only one head, some have six heads which reflect the legend surrounding his birth wherein he was born as six boys who were later united into one by Parvati. He is described to have aged quickly from childhood, becoming a warrior, leading the army of the Devas and credited with destroying rakshasas such as Tarakasura and Surapadma. He is regarded as a philosopher who taught the pursuit of an ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta.