He was supported in this by Parpola who spent a long time attempting to decipher the script of the Indus valley. The Indologist Hardy had a theory that Murugan worship under different names was popular in the folk religion of the North of India too. This is the name that he is most recognized as today in places of worship. In Maharashtra he was called Khandoba and in vast areas of the south of India the god was known as Malai Kilavan, the Lord of the hills in ancient Tamil. This basic template went by many names in different parts of the country. He was young, handsome and a fire-eating, spear-wielding bravo. He was a popular war god who lived on forested hills, was fond of hunting, fighting, and an appetite for blood sacrifices.
Skanda was most popular because of his absorption into the official pantheon as opposed to his previous folk status, and the sudden decline in his all-India popularity to once again being a local area god are all typical stages of this sheltering process.Īs far as Indian history goes, Skanda began his existence basically from the beginning.
He has many nicknames but his most common would be Skanda, although it has been almost forgotten today after having been in worship for over two millennia. The story of the war god of Hindu Mythology is fascinating for many reasons. He is the son of Lord Shiva and he is known by different names like Subramanya, Shanmuga, Skanda, Karthilkeya, Arumuga and Kumaraswamy. He is referred to as the God of the Tamils. Lord Muruga is the most popular Hindu deity among the people of Tamil Nadu.