Kartikeya also known as Skanda Murugan Shanmugha and Subrahmanya . He is the son of Parvati and Shiva the elder brother of Ganesha and a god whose legends have many versions Murugan is widely regarded as the "God of the Tamil peopleKartikeya is an ancient god traceable to the Vedic period. He was hailed as 'Palaniappa' (Father of Palani) the tutelary deity of the Kurinji region whose cult gained immense popularity in the south.The iconography of Kartikeya varies significantly; he is typically represented as an ever-youthful man riding or near an Indian peafowl called Paravani bearing a vel and sometimes with an emblem of a rooster upon his banner. Most icons show him with only one head but some show him with six heads which reflect the legend surrounding his birth. He is described to have aged quickly from childhood becoming a philosopher-warrior destroyed the demons Tarakasura Simhamukha and Surapadma and taught the pursuit of an ethical life and the theology of Shaiva Siddhanta.