Murugan

Published on 2nd September, 2018, in Mumbai Mirror. In the month of Shravan, cities and towns of the Gangetic plains are inundated with people, dressed in orange, bearing saffron flags, marching to loud music, and carrying a bamboo stick sling with pots or bottles tied to either end that are never placed on the ground. They are carrying water of the Ganga to pour in the Shiva temple in their village, a ritual that marks the end of summer and beginning of monsoon. They are the Kanwariyas. The Kanwariyas of Bihar who make the journey to Deogarh Baidyanath temple are less boisterous compared to their ..

Published on 15th November, 2015, in Mid-Day. Murugan is the southern form of Kartikeya, son of Shiva. Or rather, Kartikeya, son of Shiva, is the northern form of Murugan. In Tamil Sangam literature, dating to 1,500 years ago, and referring to earlier oral tradition, Murugan is associated with mountains. This was the period that Vedic ideas became increasingly prominent in the Southern half of India. Thus, the barren desert came to be associated with goddess Kali, the sea shore with Varuna, the forests with Vishnu and the fields with Indra. Murugan stood atop mountains, and came to be associated with Shiva, as his son, indicating ..