Hindu God of War: Kartikeya 

Also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya and Murugan, Kartikeya is one of the important deities of Hinduism. He is the god of war and victory, generally described as the son of the principal deity Shiva. Kartikeya has a special meaning for the Tamil people, one of the native peoples in the Indian subcontinent. Because of that, he is often regarded as the “God of the Tamil people.” 

It is believed that Kartikeya is exceptionally brave, intelligent, and powerful. He leads the gods’ forces to fight demons and protect the positive tendencies of human beings. Kartikeya mounts a peacock, which is the symbol of piety, modesty, and destruction of sinful habits for Hindu people. His spear called Shakti is blessed by his mother Parvati. 

Intelligence of Kartikeya 

Kartikeya was a student of the Creator god himself, Lord Brahma. His extraordinary intellectual capacity showed itself on the first day of his education. He asked the creator god the meaning of Om, the sacred essence of the Supreme Absolute. Lord Brahma described Om in twelve thousand verses, and as expected, Kartikeya wasn’t satisfied with the answer. He said that Om can be explained in twelve verses and proved his wisdom, making his father Shiva proud. Aware of his son’s skills, Shiva sent Kartikeya to earth for the welfare and protection of mankind. 

Worship Practices 

Similar to the medieval Catholic monks, Kartikeya worshippers shave their head in imitation of the way Kartikeya did in his childhood, and offer a sweet mixture called Panchamrita, made of banana, honey, sugar candies, and date fruits to Kartikeya. There are plenty of different festivals and rituals dedicated to the deity, and all of them have different practices, so I suggest looking up to them if you are interested. Karthika Deepam, the festival of lights would be a good start. 

Conclusion

There are tons of different deities, mythologic figures and creatures in Hindu beliefs. Moreover, many of them are depicted differently in various Hindu sects and philosophies, some of them can even be found in Buddhism. With that being said, one should naturally invest some time to research for getting a grasp of these rich belief systems. Let Kartikeya become the beginning of this journey and dive into the pantheon in your spare time, as Eastern pantheons are sometimes way richer and complex than ones we used to hear.