Deities · Shaiva Family

Lord Kartikeya

कार्तिकेय

Kārtikeya

Younger son of Shiva and Parvati, born to slay the asura Tarakasura. As Murugan in the Tamil tradition, he is the cosmic warrior whose Vel pierces ignorance, ego, and fear.

Quick facts

Era: Eternal / Sanatana
vahana: Paravani (Peacock)
consort: Devasena, Valli
Abode: Mount Kailash / Palani

Attributes & symbols

Emblems most often depicted with Lord Kartikeya. Hover for gloss · click to search.

Epithets

Names and titles by which Lord Kartikeya is invoked across the śāstras.

Murugan Skanda Shanmukha

Essays

Related essays

All essays

Essay · Fasting & Vratas

Skanda Ṣaṣṭhī — Kārtikeya's Six Days

A six-day vow building to a single reenacted battle — and, in the moment of the demon's defeat, a transformation the Tamil retelling insists on keeping: not death, but the enemy remade into the god's own peacock and rooster.

Chālīsā & Bhajan

Recite with Lord Kartikeya

All recitations

Chālīsā

Ganesh Chalisa

गणेश चालीसा

Hindi and English text, verse by verse.

Related lore

All stories →

Shiva Purana, Ganesha Purana

The Great Cosmic Circumambulation of Ganesha

A charming and profound tale of wisdom where the brothers Ganesha and Kartikeya compete in a cosmic race for a divine fruit, illustrating the difference between outward effort and inner realization.

2 chapters · read →