Murugan (Tamil:

, Sanskrit: , Malayalam:

, Hindi: )

, Kannada: also

,Telugu:

called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindu's, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influence's, especially South Island. India, Singapore, Sri His six most

Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion

important shrines in India are the Arupadaiveedu temples, located in Tamil Nadu. In Sri Lanka, Hindus as well as Buddhists revere the sacred historical Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna and the sacred Buddhist and Hindu
[1]

shrine

or Kataragama

temple (also

in Sinhala "Katharagama Devalaya") dedicated to him, situated deep south in the country. Chinese in Penang, Kuala Lumpur,

of Malaysia also pray to Lord Murugan during Thaipusam. Lord Murugan is more popular in South India especially among Tamil people famously referred as Thamizh Kadavul (God of Tamils) compared to other parts of India. He is the patron deity of the Tamil land (Tamil Nadu). ), Arumugam, Sanmuga(from
[2]

Like most Hindu deities, He is Sanskrit amukha), Shadanana (meaning

[3]

known by many other names, including Senthil (Smart), Saravaa,Krtikeya (meaning 'son of Krittika' 'one with six
[4]

faces'), Kumra (meaning 'child or son'), Guhan or Guruhuha (meaning 'cave-dweller'), Skanda (meaning 'that which is spilled or oozed, namely seed' in Sanskrit), Subrahmaya, Vla andSwaminatha. In

Indonesia, the name Kartika is more commonly a girl's name. In Durga Puja in Bengal, Murugan is considered
[5]

to

be

son

of Parvati along

with

his

brother Ganesha and his sisters Saraswati and Lakshmi.