In ancient India there was an exclusive band of devotees whose special object of veneration was the worship of Karttikeya (or Skanda) also known as Murugan/Subrahmanya in south India.1
Origin of Skanda
Skanda or Karttikeya appears to have originally been a non-Vedic god of the indigenous village populace who associated him with the non-Vedic tribal mother-goddesses and a host of malevolent uncanny spirits which attacked human beings of all ages with physical and mental illness. Skanda was intimately associated with Rudra, who also was originally non-Vedic and was propitiated and supplicated by the village populace and others belonging to the lower vagrant tribal strata of society for curing the many ills-both physical and mental.2
A folk deity
The complications experienced by women during pre-natal and postnatal stages were all taken amongst the common folks to have been caused by the influence of Yakshas and Rakshasas who must be propitiated with bloody offerings. Skanda was one of such folk deities in his original form under several names such as Guha, etc. He was closely associated with a cock which is the most accessible bird to be slaughtered in offerings as up to now. One of the 18 Grahas (evil spirits) was known as Skandapasmara or the spirit which brought about the convulsion of child-life under the effect of diphtheria.3
The evil spirits were supposed to cast their influence on the health of children up to the age of 16 years. All the female Grahas are named Matrikas and all the male Grahas are but different forms of Skanda.4
The account of the Mahabharata shows that many bloodthirsty gods and goddesses were worshiped by the people and Skanda was accompanied by such a team. All of them were produced by the seed or germ of Rudra. Owing to this reason these blood sucking ogres were admitted to the fold of Rudra’s host (Rudra gana). Rudra thus became the begetter of Skanda.5 In Mahabharata a list of different spirits like Devagraha, Rakshasagraha, Gandharavagraha, Yakshagraha, Pishachagraha are counted as different forms of Skanda and Rudra. It is obvious that all the tutelary goblins that were of an awful nature were assimilated in the cult of Skanda sometimes during the Kushana period.6
Assimilated into Hindu Pantheon
The Vedic elite in their confrontation with the indigenous village populace, tried to assimilate them into their Vedic cum Hinduistic fold by adopting their village gods and goddesses and admitting them into their Vedic cum Hindu pantheon.7
Skanda was one among the folk gods who entered the Hindu pantheon; to whom various legends and myths were composed in connection with his origin and his association with Hindu pantheon.
Epics and Puranas have references and episodes connected with his origin. He is generally regarded as the son of Shiva and Parvati while at other times as that of Agni and Ganga. It is mentioned that Shiva cast his semen into Agni who, being unable to bear it, cast it into the river Ganga. Hence Skanda is called Agnibhu and Gangaputra. As he was born from the semen of Shiva which fell into Agni, he got the name Skanda (fall). The semen was then transferred to the six Krittikas when they went to bathe in the Ganga, each of whom therefore conceived and begot a son; all these children afterwards become combined in one being having six heads and 12 arms and eyes. Hence he became known by the names of Karttikeya, Shanmukha and Shadanana.8
It has been mentioned in the Epics and the Puranas that as the gods had to suffer at the hands of the demons, so on the request of the sages and the gods, Skanda (Karttikeya) was made the chief of the gods army. As the generalissimo of the army of gods, Karttikeya killed the chief of the demons, Tarakasura.9
With regards to Karttikeya’s marital status we come across two diametrically opposite pictures of Karttikeya in the Puranas. One presents him as a bachelor, while the other presents him as a young hero married to two wives. Both traditions are prevalent in the country. In Maharashtra for instance Karttikeya is regarded as a confirmed bachelor. Even the mere appearance of women in his temples is strictly prohibited. For instance in the Karttikeya temple on Parvati hill near Poona. In contrast in the temples of the south, he is shown with two wives, Valli and Devasena.10
The Dharmasutras of Baudhayana (4th or 5th century B.C.) provides early reference to Skanda and his various names, e.g. Sanmukha, Jayanta, Visakha, Subrahmanya and Mahasena which were later on regarded as the various aspects and names of the deity.11
Popularity of Skanda worship
The Mahabhashya of Patanjali suggests the wide prevalence of the worship of Skanda (Karttikeya) in the times of the Mauryas and so also in the Shunga period. It further suggests that the worship of Karttikeya along with Shiva was so popular among the general masses that the Mauryan government even thought of making money by selling the images of these gods. The cult of Karttikeya practically comes to the forefront in the early centuries of the Christian era which is attested by the tribal coins coming from the areas of eastern Punjab, Rohtak, Ujjain, Bhita and Ayodhya, the coins of Kushana king Huvishka and certain stone inscriptions as well as seals.12
The National god of Yaudheyas
The numismatic evidence of Skanda’s worship is supplied by the Yaudheya coins of about the 2nd and 3rd century A.D. which contain his figure, sometimes one and at other times six-headed (Shadanana) carrying a spear and a cock or peacock in its two hands. The legend on some the Yaudheya coins read - ‘coin of Brahmanyadeva Kumara, the worshipful Lord, indicating that the coins were issued in the name of Brahmanyadeva Kumara as the spiritual as well as the temporal head of the Yaudheya Ganarajya. The Yaudheyas were the Ayudhajivi Kshatriyas, i.e., Kshatriyas living by their weapons and it is but natural that they would dedicate their State to the divine war god. In a Mahabharata passage; Rohitaka, the city of the Yaudheyas here named Mattamayuraka is called the favorite residence of Karttikeya which means he was the tutelary deity of the region.13
The earliest inscriptional evidence about a temple dedicated to the worship of Lord Karttikeya from Abbotabad in the Hazara district of present Pakistan refers to the temple of Karttikeya built by one Gasura Saphara, apparently a foreigner. This inscription is assigned to the 3rd century A.D. The inscription as well proves the popularity of the god Karttikeya with the foreigners, a fact amply proved by the coins of the Kushana ruler Huvishka. On the Huvishka coins Karttikeya appears as Skanda-Kumara, Vishakha and Mahasena.14
During the Kushana period Karttikeya was not only represented on the coins but also carved on stones. The earliest representation of Karttikeya in sculptural form is found at Mathura, where the Karttikeya cult was quite popular.15
Skanda worship during Gupta period
During the Gupta period the popularity of Karttikeya increased and Gupta rulers like Kumara Gupta I attached great importance to this god. Not only did he bear the name Kumara (the other name of Karttikeya) but also issued coins in his homage. His son Skanda Gupta also adopted Karttikeya’s other name (i.e. Skanda). The cult of Karttikeya was highly popular during the Gupta period is amply attested by the fact that the great Sanskrit poet and dramatist, Kalidasa immortalized the God by composing his highly famous work Kumarasambhava, which describes not only the birth of the god but also other legends associated with Karttikeya. Kalidasa also informs us that a temple of this god existed at Devagiri in Madhya Pradesh. The Bilsad inscription of the Gupta period also refers to a temple of Karttikeya at Bilsad.16
The cult of Karttikeya declined in northern India after 7th century after he was associated the Shiva as a member of his family and the cult of Karttikeya became a part of Shaivism.17
Skanda worship in South India
The worship of Murugan as Skanda is popularly called in Tamil is very old in south India. No deity in Tamilnadu claims so many votaries as Murugan.18
Murugan was called the Red God (Seyon) and was offered by his worshipers balls of rice mixed with the red blood of goats killed on his behalf. He was a hunter and carried the Vel or spear and was hence called Velan (spears man).19 The huntsmen and hills tribe or Kuravas worshiped this heroic god of war and his shrines were generally built on the tops of high hills or in the midst of dense forests.20
The oldest Tamil hymns refer to him as the deity of the hilly region. The Tirumurugarruppadai by Nakkirar praises him as a child of the daughter of Himavat, borne down to the earth by Agni and nursed by the six Krttika devis in the grassy pool on the Himalayas. Here the identification of Murugan with Skanda (worshiped in north India) is complete.21 By about the 6th century A.D. the Skanda cult had shed its association with the earliest indigenous forms of worship practiced by the hill tribes, the Veddas and the Kuravas and had been incorporated in the Shaiva Agamas.22
Skanda and Muruga coalesced in Subrahmanya
As Murugan and Skanda-Karttikeya were both originally war gods and had many common traits, these two gods were coalesced to give birth to the popular god Subrahmanya.23 The name Subrahmanya is only an elaboration of the title Brahmanya, and this title in its turn probably owes its origin to the belief that Skanda is identical with Sanat Kumara, son of Pitamaha Brahma.24
The name Subrahmanya is entirely absent in the early inscriptions found in south India. No reference to this name is found in any epigraph before the 8th century A.D. although the name is as old as the Baudhayana Dharma Sastra and therefore of north Indian origin.25
Subrahmanya’s connection with the Serpent
In some unexplained way there exists an intimate connection between the worship of Subrahmanya and of the serpent.26 Even at present Subrahmanya appears to the physical eyes of his devotees only in the form of a serpent. When a devotee of his god has invoked his help; the appearance of a serpent means that the god has granted the prayers.27 Subrahmanya riding on a peacock, his marriage with the forest maid Valliyamman and the fact that his most famous temples are on hill tops show that he is connected with the ancient tree and serpent worship and the forest deities.28
In Maharashtra, Subrahmanya is worshiped under the name Khandoba or Khandevar which means ‘sword father’. He is the tutelary god of shepherds and is worshipped as a household deity. As Khandoba he is represented as riding a horse and attended by his wife Makshara and a dog. The famous temple of Khandoba is at Jejuri 62 kms east of Pune and was erected in the 14th century. Khandoba is worshipped in Sri Lanka by the name Khandaswami, the name is only corrupt form of the name Skandaswami which in turn is another name of Karttikeya.29
Popularity of Skanda/Subrahmanya worship in South India
As a guardian deity Skanda is enshrined in almost every Shiva temple of importance in south India. He is par excellence the god of youth, of energy and virility.30 The worship of Skanda gained great popularity in the south certainly greater than that of any other ancillary god of Shaivism as indicated by the fact that only in connection with the worship of Skanda was an independent text (Kumara Tantra) needed for instructing worshippers about the various rituals. Apart from what is laid down in this tantra, each temple of Skanda in the south has evolved its own tradition. The god enshrined in the temple at Palani for example is presented as an ascetic thought neither the Puranas nor the tantra support this. In some temples Shakti, the weapon of Skanda shaped like a lance, made of bronze or silver or gold is installed in the place of the image of the god.31
Royal patronage to Skanda
The names Skandavarman, Kumaravishnu, Skandashisya and Skandamula among the kings of the Pallava dynasty prove that Karttikeya was very popular during the Pallava period.32 The Cholas also held this god in high esteem. Most of the Shiva temples built during their period had separate shrines for the god Subrahmanya.33
Skanda/Subrahmanya in Art
There is an unbroken continuity in the evolution of the Skanda cult in the Tamil land as evidenced by the presence of the statues of this god dating from the 7th century A.D. There is a temple of Balasubrahmanya constructed at Kannanur dated A.D.871-907. It is perhaps the earliest dated temple built with stone from the base to the finial. At Tiruvengaivasal there is a rare sculpture of Subrahmanya (11th century) in bas-relief in the virasana pose.34 The synthesis of Skanda with Siva and Uma were expressed in the Somaskanda sculptures of the Pallava period from 7th -8th century. Somaskanda bronze images of the Chola period represent on the same pedestal Siva and Uma with baby Skanda in between.35
Kavadi, offerings to Lord Muruga
Such is the popularity of Muruga cult among Tamil speaking people that even today one can see devotees; men, women and children visiting his shrines, chanting his holy names and carrying over their shoulders, Kavadi or ornamented bamboo poles to which are hung small pots containing milk, sugar, honey, flower and fruits. The person who undertakes this rite has to observe certain austerities.36
Reference
Pranabananda Jash – Some aspects of Karttikeya worship with special reference to Bengal., Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, vol 42 1981, p.163
V.M.Bedekar – Kartikeya (Skanda) in Sanskrit literature with special reference to the Mahabharata. From a folk spirit to the chief war god. ABORI, vol 56, no 1/4, 1975, p.168
Vasudeva S Agarwal - Ancient Indian Folk Cults, Prithivi Prakashan, Varanasi, 1970, p. 87
Ibid, p. 88
Ibid, p. 70
Ibid, pp: 88,89
V.M.Bedekar – Op.Cit, pp: 168,169
Pranabananda Jash – Op.Cit, pp:164,165
Kanchan Sinha – Cult of Karttikeya in Northern India, The Journal of The Bihar Puravid Parisad, vol 9 & 10, Jan-Dec, 1985-86, pp: 168,169
N.R.Bhat –Shaivism in the light of Epics, Puranas and Agamas, Indica Books, Varanasi, 2008, pp:492,493
Pranabananda Jash – Op.Cit, p.163
Kanchan Sinha – Op.Cit, p.170
J.N.Banerjea – Pauranic and Tantric Religion (Early Phase), University of Calcutta, 1966, pp: 148,149
Kanchan Sinha – Op.Cit, p.171
Ibid
Ibid, p. 172
Ibid
K.R.Venkataraman, Skanda Cult in South India- The Cultural Heritage of India – vol- iv, Editor- Haridas Bhattacharyya, The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Calcutta, 1956, p.309
P.T.Srinivas Iyengar – History of the Tamils from the earliest times to 600 A.D., C.Coomarasawmy & Sons, Madras, 1929, p.76
V.Kanakasabhai – The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago, The South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society, Tirunelveli Ltd, Madras, 1956, p.229
K.R.Venkataraman – Op.Cit, p. 309
Ibid, p.311
Asim Kumar Chatterjee – The Cult of Skanda-Karttikeya in Ancient India, Punthi Pustak, Calcutta, 1970, p.64
R.C.Majumdar, Editor, The History and Culture of the Indian People, vol- ii, Age of Imperial Unity, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, 2001, p.468
Asim Kumar Chatterjee – Op.Cit, p. 76
H.Krishna Sastri- South Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses, Madras Government Press, 1916,p. 177
P.T.Srinivas Iyengar – Op.Cit, p.76
Swami Parmeshwaranand- Encyclopedia of the Shaivism, vol-3, Sarup&Sons, New Delhi, 2004, pp:73,74
H.Krishna Sastri- Op.Cit, p.183
N.R.Bhat – Op.Cit, pp: 495,496
Asim Kumar Chatterjee – Op.Cit, p. 68
Ibid, p. 70
K.R.Venkataraman- Op.Cit, pp:310,311
Ibid, p.312
Ibid, p313
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