Murugan
मुरुगन
Kuldevta, family god
The Tamil god Murugan, identified with the Sanskrit Skanda Kartikeya, son of Shiva and Parvati
At a glance
- Main shrine
- Subramaniya Swamy Temple, Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu
- Worshipped in
- Tamil Nadu
- Kept by
- Tamil families
About
Murugan is the Tamil god of the hills, worshipped as Skanda Kartikeya, son of Shiva, with a spear (vel) and a peacock. His six best-known temples are the Arupadai Veedu of Tamil Nadu. Some Tamil families keep him, at one of his temples, as their kuladeivam. The Subrahmanya of Kukke in Karnataka is a related deity with a separate tradition and is not covered here.
Legend and Origin
Murugan appears in the Sangam-era Tamil poem Tirumurukarruppatai, ascribed to Nakkirar, which gives the six abodes, and Tamil Sangam literature names him as the god of the hilly Kurinji land. Scholars, among them Fred Clothey in The Many Faces of Murukan (1978), describe the Tamil god Murukan as joining with the Sanskrit Skanda Kartikeya over time. The story of his birth and of his victory over the asura Surapadman at Tiruchendur is told in the Tamil Kanda Puranam; in it the asura takes the form of a mango tree and Murugan splits it, so that one half becomes his peacock and the other his rooster banner. Tradition names six temples as his abodes, the Arupadai Veedu (Tiruchendur, Palani, Swamimalai, Thiruparankundram, Thiruthani and Pazhamudircholai), and the poet Arunagirinathar sings of each in the Tiruppukal. The dates given for the temples differ between sources and are not repeated here.
How the Deity Is Shown
Murugan is shown as an ever-youthful man with a spear (vel), riding a peacock, with a rooster on his banner. Most images have one head and some have six. At Palani he stands as the young renunciant Dhandayuthapani; at Tiruchendur the sanctum image is carved in granite; at Swamimalai he is the teacher (Swaminatha). He has two consorts in the Tamil tradition, Valli and Deivanai.
How Families Keep the Worship
The Tamil word kuladeivam means the deity of one's own kulam, the family line; it is separate from the deity a person chooses for personal devotion. Murugan is listed as a kuladevata in Tamil Nadu, and in family accounts some families name one of his temples, Palani for example, as their kuladeivam. In those accounts the family goes first to the kuladeivam temple for the shaving of a child's head (mottai) and for other family events before visiting other temples. At Palani devotees shave their heads to fulfil vows and carry the kavadi; some keep a 48-day vow of abstinence before climbing the hill. At Tiruchendur the pilgrims bathe in the sea and then at the Nali Kinaru well. Which temple a family keeps differs by family, branch and village.
Shrines
Subramaniya Swamy Temple
Tiruchendur, Thoothukudi district, Tamil Nadu
On the sea coast; the place of Murugan's victory over Surapadman. The sanctum is cut into a cave. One of the six Arupadai Veedu.
Palani Murugan Temple (Dhandayuthapani)
Palani, Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu
On a hill. The image shows Murugan as a young renunciant with shaved head and staff; tonsure and the kavadi are the common vows.
Swaminatha Swamy Temple
Swamimalai, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu
Near Kumbakonam; Murugan is said to have taught Shiva the meaning of Om here.
Subramaniya Swamy Temple
Thiruparankundram, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu
A rock-cut temple at the foot of a hill, where tradition places Murugan's marriage to Deivanai.
Subramanya Swamy Temple
Thiruthani, Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu
On a hill about 75 km from Chennai, reached by 365 steps; linked to Murugan's marriage to Valli.
Pazhamudircholai Murugan Temple
Alagar Koil, near Madurai, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu
The one of the six where both consorts, Valli and Deivanai, are worshipped.
Festivals
Thaipusam
Tamil month of Thai (January to February), on the full moon with the Pusam star
The chief festival at Palani, where pilgrims carry the kavadi and fulfil tonsure vows.
Kanda Sashti (Surasamharam)
Aippasi (October to November), the six days of the waxing moon ending on shashti
At Tiruchendur the victory over Surapadman is re-enacted on the last day and draws very large crowds.
Vaikasi Visakam
Tamil month of Vaikasi (May to June), on the Visakam star
Observed as Murugan's birthday at his temples.
Panguni Uthiram
Tamil month of Panguni (March to April), on the Uthiram star
Listed with the main Murugan festivals; in Tamil tradition associated with the marriages of the divine couples.
Stories and Legends
Surapadman and the mango tree
In the Kanda Puranam the asura Surapadman and his brothers gain great power from Shiva, and Murugan is born to defeat them. After killing Tarakasura and Simhamukha, he fights Surapadman at Tiruchendur. Surapadman takes the form of a mango tree; Murugan splits it and the halves become a peacock, his mount, and a rooster, his banner. The re-enactment of this battle is the Surasamharam of Tiruchendur.
The fruit of wisdom at Palani
The tale told at Palani, as the TN Temples Project gives it, has Murugan stay on the hill after a family dispute over a divine fruit, the gnana pazham, the fruit of wisdom. He is shown there as a young renunciant in a loincloth with a staff. Kamil Zvelebil, as cited by Wikipedia, reads the tale as the god's coming of age. Pilgrims shave their heads at Palani in imitation of the shaved head of the image.