Kartikeya In Indian Art and Literature

The present work, Karttikeya in Indian Art and Literature, is based mainly on the Ph.D. thesis approved by the University ofPatna in 1977. In this work, an attempt has been made to make a detailed study of the cult of Karttikeya in ancient India for filling up the gap in knowledge of the development of the cult of the god which has not been treated in detail by the previous authors on the subject. For the study, both literary and archaeological sources have been thoroughly utilised, for both together can furnish a judicious picture about the prevalence of the cult of the god in ancient times in our country. The work has been divided into seven chapters dealing with the character and personality of Karttikeya in the religious and non-religious literature of both the northern and the southern parts of the country and in inscriptions together with his representations on coins, seals and sealings and in art. In this work, as far as practicable, no pains have been spared to make the study of the cult of Karttikeya in ancient India sufficiently comprehensive. Secondly, the various representations of the god and his vehicles in stone sculptures, terracottas and bronzes and on coins and seals have been discussed in such a manner that they may suggest the various aspects connected with the development and the spread of the cult of the god in different parts of the country in ancient times. Thirdly, wherever it could be possible, an attempt has been made to correlate the textual descriptions with the various kinds of representations of the deity in Indian art. And lastly, it has also been endeavoured to present a complete picture of the prevalence of the cult of the god both in the northern and the southern parts of the country.