10. Icons of Kartikeya

45 Kumara, Skanda, Visakha, Guha are the synonyms of this god. There are many mythological legends underlying the form of Kartikeya. He is regarded as six headed, son of six mothers, son of Ganga, son of Agni etc. He is the hero, leader of the divine army. God Kartikeya or Subramanya attained great popularity among the southerners of medieval times. According to Agni Purana, Chapter 50, the image of skanda, the commander-in-chief of the celestial forces and who is known as sakha and Visakha should be represented as a boy possessing two arms and riding on a peacock, with the images of Sumuksi and Vidalaksi installed on his two sides. The god may be represented as having one or six faces or possessing six or twelve hands. The Purana further adds that in a wood or in : village, his image should be made to appear with two hands.

219 carrying the celestial weapon sakti in his right and a Kukkuta in his left hand. In the case of his having twelve arms, the six on the right should be equipped with the divine weapons respectively known as sakti, arrow, pasa (noose), sword, totrada, tarjani and the sakti. The left six hands being armed sakti with the saktis only. Matsya Purana, Chapter 260 depicts god Kartikeya as having twelve hands and with peacock for his vehicle. He is described as delicate (Sukumara), with danda and kaisciraka. Matsya Purana also mentions that in a wood and in a village he should be made with two hands, sakti in his right and a kukkuta by his left hand, and in a Kharvata he should be depicted with four hands, holding sakti and Pasa in his left and right hands and the other two hands should be in a Varada and Abhaya poses. If he is depicted with 12 hands, the emblems should be sakti, Pasa, sword, arrow, sula in his right hands and bow, pataka, musti, tarjani in his left hands. His two hands should be in a Varada and Abhaya pose. The Visnudharmottara, Chapter 71, describes his four forms viz. Kumara, Skanda, Visakha and Guha. Kumara is sixfaced (Sanmukha), adorned with a tuft of hair (Sikhandaka), dressed in a red garment and riding on a noble peacock. In his right hands are a Kukkuta (cock) and a bell. His left hand should hold a vaijayanti Pataka and a javalin (sakti). The three other forms should be like kumara in all the details except in the matter of six faces and the peacock mount.

220 at Mathura. Several good sculptures of Kartikeya have been found His other forms like Kumara, Visakha and Skanda also seem to have been quite popular during the Ausana period. The number of images increased in the Gupta period. The image of Kartikeya is shown as a two-armed figure, holding the right hand in Abhayamudra and Sakti in the left hand. Sometimes a 46 cock and sometimes a peacock are depicted as his vahanas. His characteristic emblem Sakti, Kukkuta and sikhi seem to have been associated from a very early period on the coins also. A four-armed figure is found in Ellora relief and one of the left hands holds a oock. T.A.G. Rao has reproduced various bronze and stone images of Subramanya.