Skanda Shashti in Chennai: The Six-Day Murugan Festival and Soora Samharam

The story and the fast

Skanda Shashti (கந்த சஷ்டி, also written Kanda Sashti) celebrates Murugan — Skanda, Karthikeya, Subrahmanya — the warrior son of Shiva and the most beloved god of the Tamil country. The festival runs for six days from the new moon after Deepavali in the Tamil month of Aippasi, ending on the sixth lunar day (shashti). On that day Murugan, armed with the vel (spear) given by his mother, destroys the demon Surapadman and his brothers, and the defeated demon becomes his peacock mount and the cockerel on his banner.

Many devotees fast for all six days: some on water alone, more commonly on one simple meal or fruit and milk. The Kanda Sashti Kavasam, a 19th-century Tamil hymn of protection, is recited daily — you will hear it from temple loudspeakers, phones and autos all week. Fasting ends on the seventh day, which is celebrated as Thirukalyanam, Murugan’s wedding to Deivanai.

The sixth day: Soora Samharam

The climax is the Soora Samharam, the “destruction of Sura”. In the late afternoon or early evening of the sixth day the festival image of Murugan is carried out, and in a choreographed sequence the demons appear in a series of forms — a mango tree, a bull, a cockerel — and are struck down one by one. Crowds roar “Vetrivel! Veeravel!” at each blow. At the big temples it is theatre on a grand scale; at a neighbourhood temple it is intimate and no less moving. Timings are typically between 4 pm and 7 pm, but each temple sets its own; ask at the office the day before.

Where to see it in Chennai

• Vadapalani Andavar Temple — the city’s busiest Murugan temple and the natural first choice. The Soora Samharam is held in the streets around the temple; expect large, well-managed crowds and plenty of street food.
• Kandaswami Temple (Kandha Kottam), George Town — the old city’s Murugan temple near Parry’s Corner, a fine place to see the festival in a dense heritage setting.
• Kundrathur Murugan Temple — a hilltop shrine on the south-western edge of the city, said to be the only one where Murugan faces north.
• Kumaran Kundram, Chromepet — a hill shrine with a steep flight of steps, smaller and well attended; the Arupadai Veedu Temple in Besant Nagar brings all six abodes together in one compound.
• Marundeeswarar and Kapaleeshwarar, as large Shiva temples, hold their own Murugan festivals in the same week.

The great Murugan temples beyond the city

The most famous Soora Samharam is at Thiruchendur, on the beach in the far south, where the battle is enacted on the sands before an enormous crowd — about 600 km from Chennai, so an overnight train or a flight to Tuticorin. Closer to home, Thiruthani is about 85 km west of Chennai and a comfortable day trip, and Thiruparankundram near Madurai and Palani are major centres. All six abodes are described on our Arupadai Veedu page.

Food and the fast

During the six days many families eat vegetarian and light; restaurants around the Murugan temples serve pongal, idli and fruit for those on a partial fast. On the sixth evening the temple streets turn into a fair: sugarcane, roasted corn, sundal, bajji and sweet paniyaram. The fast is broken the next morning, often with a full feast after Thirukalyanam.

Tips

• Go early on day six. Vadapalani’s surrounding streets are closed to traffic and the Metro station (Vadapalani, Green Line) is the easiest way in.
• Dress modestly; many devotees come in yellow or green. Shoes are left well before the crowd.
• Children and the elderly may prefer a smaller temple like Kundrathur for the Soora Samharam, or a position on a first-floor balcony near Vadapalani — ask at a shop.
• Diaspora visitors: the festival sits neatly between Deepavali and Karthigai Deepam; a fortnight’s trip in November can take in all three. Check the panchangam for the day’s timings.
• Weather: peak north-east monsoon. Carry an umbrella; processions go ahead in light rain.

Frequently asked questions