1). Skanda - As he is born of the dissipated semen of Shiva he is called Skanda, which means discharged.
2). Shikhandaka - His head is adorned with tufts of hair (shikha).
3). Karttikeya - For having been nursed by six Krittikas (Pleiades).
4). Shanmatura - For possessing six mothers.
5). Shanmukha or one with six faces, so that he could suckle all his mothers simultaneously.
6). Kumara - He commandeered the army of the gods and killed the demon Taraka. Ku means evil and mara means to kill. He is also called so because he is a brahmchari and therefore a virgin (kumara).
7). Tarakari - For killing Taraka.
8). Shashthipriya - One who is fond of the 'sixth day' ; since he killed the above demon on the sixth day of the bright half of the lunar month of Mrigashiras, which according to the scriptures is the best of months.
Justifying his epithet Kumara, he is sculpted here as a handsome youth, bright like the morning sun. The lance (Vel) his holds in his left hand is said to have been a gift from his mother Parvati. The right arm is raised in the abhaya mudra, or the gesture of fearlessness. He wears a karandamukuta - the high crown which signifies a deity's exalted status - and which here eminently suits the youth who was destined to be the commander of gods. Bejewelled sumptuously, he has a well proportioned and sturdy body which stands erect on the high lotus pedestal. The upper anatomy is adorned only with ornaments and is totally bereft of any garment. A rich red dhoti clings to his lower limbs and is held at the waist by numerous decorated girdles. The peacock, Kumara's vehicle, stands behind him, trampling upon a snake with which the bird has an eternal, adversarial relationship.
This sculpture was created by Shri Sengottuvel of Salem (Tamil Nadu), using Vengai wood.
Of Related Interest:
Karttikeya in Brass
Karttikeya, Son of Shiva
Skanda / Karttikeya
The Lord Of War Rides the Annihilator of Time
An Exhaustive Collection of Books on Karttikeya
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