Murugan, Wood Carving - 18"X10"
Murugan Blessing, with traditional vel (spear) and his peacock - ornate wood carving
Weight 4.85 lbs, Length 4 inches, Height 18 inches, Width 10 inches
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity. He is the son of Shiva and Parvathi and brother of Ganesha. He is the commander of the divine armies, the lord of war, the brave warrior capable of killing evil beings to save the devoted. His six most important shrines in India are the Arupadaiveedu temples, located in Tamil Nadu. In Sri Lanka, Hindus as well as Buddhists revere the sacred historical Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna and the sacred Buddhist and Hindu shrine or temple Katharagama dedicated to him, situated deep south in the country. Chinese in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, of Malaysia also pray to Lord Murugan during Thaipusam.
Lord Murugan is more popular in South India especially among Tamil people famously referred as Thamizh Kaduvul (God of Tamils) compared to other parts of India. He is the patron deity of the Tamil land (Tamil Nadu). Like most Hindu deities, he is known by many other names, including Senthil (Smart), Sarava?a, Kartikeya (meaning 'son of Krittika'), Arumugam, Sanmuga(from Sanskrit ?a?mukha), Shadanana (meaning 'one with six faces'), Kumara (meaning 'child or son', Tamil for youth), Guhan or Guruhuha(meaning 'cave-dweller'), Skanda (meaning 'that which is spilled or oozed, namely seed' in Sanskrit), Subrahmanya, V?la? and Swaminatha. In Indonesia, the name Kartika is more commonly a girl's name.
According to the Tamil devotional work, Thirippugazh, "Murugan never hesitates to come to the aid of a devotee when called upon in piety or distress". In another workThirumurukkarrupatai, he is described as a god of eternal youth; His face shines a myriad rays light and removes the darkness from this world.
Kartikeya symbols are based on the weapons - Vel, the Divine Spear or Lance that he carries and his mount the peacock. The Vel was given to him by his mother, Parvati and embodies her energy and power. He is sometimes depicted with many weapons including: a sword, a javelin, a mace, a discus and a bow although more usually he is depicted wielding a sakti or spear. This symbolizes his purification of human ills. His javelin is used to symbolize his far reaching protection, his discus symbolizes his knowledge of the truth, his mace represents his strength and his bow shows his ability to defeat all ills. His peacock mount symbolizes his destruction of the ego.
The story of his birth are that the sparks of the fiery seed of Shiva were unbearable; even the fire God Agni could not bear them; this fire was then transported by the river Ganga into the Saravana forest into a pond called the Saravana Poigai (located at mouths of river Ganga), where the sparks became six children. They were raised by the six Krittika or Kartika - the stars that make up the Pleiades, earning the name Karthikeya. Parvati combined these six babies into one with six faces, i.e. Shanmukha or Arumugan. His six heads represent the six siddhis (spiritual powers) bestowed upon yogis over the course of their spiritual development. This corresponds to his role as the bestower of siddhis.
Disclaimer: Actual size and color may vary from photo
