The experience seems to have turned him into a misogynist. Any woman who entered his sacred grove would instantly add to the holy vegetation by being turned into a tree or creeper! However Kartik, as he is known in eastern India, remains the epitome of handsome valor, both courage and good looks being eulogized as being 'like Kartik'. In the famous Kalighat Pat paintings of the late nineteenth century, Kartik is actually shown by many painters to be wearing European dancing pumps, as some sort of continued tribute to his eternal elegance. Another peculiarity of Skanda representations in eastern India is the fact that he is always depicted as an archer, not as a Spearman as in the rest of India. The hunter-god aspect remained strongest in the memory, as the forests too were abundant in the region until quite recently. However, in all parts of the country the most common feature of Skanda was his youth. He is India's version of what would be known later in Europe as Peur Aeturnus - the eternal youth, representing not chronological age but an attitude of optimism and joyful vigor. Sculptural representations always show him as Trishikin - having three locks of hair, the mark of the eternal youth - Kumara.

This notion of the Kumara was well established by the time Kalidasa wrote his version of the origin of Skanda - Kumarasmbhavam or the 'Birth of the Kumara'. The story has changed in significant ways here and later Puranas alter it further. The demons have a leader called Taraka, who is nominally invincible. Only the son of Shiva and Parvati can kill him, but the gods are not at all pleased at the prospect of such a new godling who would easily dominate them, having such powerful parents. At the time Taraka was not a real threat, he was merely a prophetic warning, so they extract a foolish promise from Shiva that he will never have any children. The simple god promises but an angry Parvati retaliates with a curse that renders all the deva women sterile for all eternity. As a subconscious mechanism to explain the drying up of the Vedic stream of transmission this is hard to beat. Shiva however has only promised to forsake children not having sex. Ages go by and the tremendous energies that build up because the god is not ejaculating now, threaten the very universe. The gods depute Agni to interrupt Shiva in his lovemaking. The angry god spills his seed, but the cunning Agni realizes it will come in very useful. He picks it up and runs to Brahma hoping to fashion a weapon out of it. The divine seed is too hot however, and the God of Fire is badly burnt. He jumps into the Ganga river hoping its sacred waters could cool it to manageable limits, but the river is in agony and casts the seed out upon a bank of sara reeds. Hence Skanda's first name sara-bhu, born in the thicket of sara reeds.

Six nymphs called the Krittikas (hence the name Kartikkeya) come to bathe and see the newly formed baby chuckling on the bank. It is so beautiful that all of them desire to suckle it, whereupon it assumes six forms so that they can all nurse it. Another version says the baby assumed six heads to simultaneously play peek a boo with his foster mothers and was nursed in turn by all of them. By now a great row breaks out as to whom the child belongs to. Agni claims him for the gods. Ganga has a good case, it was after all her liquid womb which allowed the seed to fertilize. The Krittikas argue that finders are keepers. Finally, however, Shiva gets custody of the child as it was his seed and Parvati gets a child of her own. The extraordinary nature of this tale remains a constant surprise. The decline of the old gods is clearly visible here, as well as the amazing turf battles fought by the local area gods, to associate themselves with the overarching popularity and prestige of Skanda. Shiva finally wins, because he is obviously the most mightiest god and also because his nature and habits are after all very similar to Skanda. The Hill-god would be permitted a place in the official culture, but only as a son.

This appropriation of Skanda by the Shiva group had many interesting consequences. For one, the Agni Purana and the Skanda Purana were extensively padded up with stories to reflect this new arrangement. In south India a genre of iconic representation grew up called Somaskanda, representing the infant Skanda seated on the lap of his divine parents. As late as the 17th and 18th century, genres of miniature painting found this theme to be still attractive. These represent a sentimental turn of mind that is sometimes ghastly to see or to read. One typically twee example from the Shivapurana should suffice.

With time Skanda worship began to trail off and it is only in Tamil Nadu that he has any significant presence. The most important temple there is on the shores of the sea and is called Tirucchentur. Other temples lie scattered about the state too and in the rest of South India. This retreat of Skanda from the other Quarters of India into the south is documented in the myth that says he was infuriated with his parents for preferring his younger brother Ganapati, when it came to who should get married first. A contest designed to solve this issue came to naught - for Skanda made the trip round the universe physically, while Ganpati merely went round his parents stating that they are the world. At a metaphysical level he was right, but Skanda went off in a rage that has still not abated. In many south Indian temples they have an annual ritual where his Himalayan dwelling parents come to visit their still sulking son! The myth also accurately potrays an increasing Indian preference for Ganapati, something that shows no sign of receding as yet.

Skanda rides a peacock called Paravani- surely the perfect vehicle for a cosmic dandy. His preferred weapon is the Vela or spear hence the popular name Velayudhan - he whose weapon is a spear. He is called Yuddharanga or the wisdom of war too. He is represented with six heads and twelve hands. He is popularly known as Subramanium too which is a common south Indian name.

An interesting note on which to end this article is an unusual modern day use of the Skanda myth. The Tamil film star M.G. Ramachandran became chief minister of Tamil Nadu by skillfully using his screen persona as a do-gooder. In the rural areas of the state his canny poll managers used to distribute pamphlets that showed him as Murugan, in one of his many mythological film roles! After his death, the leadership of his party was taken over by his former costar and she continued to use the same posters, for she played Valli in those films and was asking for votes using the MGR name. Skanda's power over the popular folk imagination continues to hold fast.