He has inspired many poet-saints, such as Arunagirinathar. He grew up quickly becoming a philosopher-warrior, destroyed the demon Tarakasura, Simhamukha, and Surapadma taught the pursuit of an ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta. Most icons show him with only one head but some show him with six heads which reflect the legend surrounding his birth. The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man, riding or near an Indian peafowl, called Paravani, adorned with weapons and sometimes with an emblem of a rooster in the flag he holds.

He is found in many medieval temples all over India, such as the Ellora Caves and Elephanta Caves. Archaeological evidence from the 1st-century CE and earlier, where he is found with the Hindu god Agni (fire), suggests that he was a significant deity in early Hinduism. Kartikeya is an ancient god, traceable to the Vedic era. An important deity in the Indian subcontinent since ancient times, Kartikeya is particularly popular and predominantly worshipped in South India, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia as Murugan. He is a son of Parvati and Shiva, brother of Ganesha, and a god whose life story has many versions in Hinduism. Kartikeya ( Sanskrit: а¤•а¤ѕа¤°аҐЌа¤¤аҐЌа¤¤а¤їа¤•аҐ‡а¤Ї, IAST: KДЃrttikeyaВ : Tamil: а®•а®ѕа®°аЇЌа®¤аЇЌа®¤а®їа®•аЇ‡а®Їа®©аЇЌ/а®®аЇЃа®°аЇЃа®•а®©аЇЌ), also known as Skanda, KumДЃra, Murugan, Shanmugha б№ўaб№‡mukha and Subrahmanya Subrahmaб№‡ya, is the Hindu god of war.

How to worship lord muruga at home