The birth of Kartikeya

The story

Tarakasura could be killed only by a son of Shiva. Shiva’s sparks were carried by Vayu and Agni to the Ganga, which bore them to the Saravana lake; there they became six boys raised by the Krittikas, whom Parvati joined into the six-faced Kartikeya.¹

At Kukke Subramanya, tradition says Kumaraswamy and Ganesha defeated the demons Taraka and Shurapadma on nearby Kumara Parvata, after which Kumaraswamy married Devasena, daughter of Indra; the serpent Vasuki and other snakes are said to have sheltered with him from Garuda.²