Vel () is a divine spear associated with Murugan, the
Tamil Hindu god of war.
Significance
According to
Shaiva tradition, the goddess
Parvati presented the Vel to her son
Kartikeya
Kartikeya (/Sanskrit phonology, kɑɾt̪ɪkejə/; ), also known as Skanda (Sanskrit phonology, /skən̪d̪ə/), Subrahmanya (/Sanskrit phonology, sʊbɾəɦməɲjə/, /ɕʊ-/), Shanmukha (Sanskrit phonology, /ɕɑnmʊkʰə/) and Murugan ...
(also known as Murugan), as an embodiment of her
shakti
Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; 'energy, ability, strength, effort, power, might, capability') in Hinduism, is the "Universal Power" that underlies and sustains all existence. Conceived as feminine in essence, Shakti refer ...
, in order to vanquish the
asura Surapadman. According to the
Skanda Purana, in the war between Kartikeya and Surapadman, Kartikeya used the vel to defeat all the forces of Surapadman. When a complete defeat for Surapadman was imminent, the
asura transformed himself into a huge mango tree to evade detection by Murugan. Not fooled by asura's trick, Murugan hurled his vel and split the mango tree into two halves, one becoming a rooster (), and the other a peacock (). Henceforth, the peacock became his
vahana
''Vāhana'' () or ''vahanam'' () denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindus, Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vāhana is often called the deity's "mount". Upon the partnership b ...
or mount, and the rooster became the emblem on his battle flag.
Vel, as a symbol of divinity, is an object of worship in the temples dedicated to Kartikeya. The annual
Thaipusam
Thaipusam or Thaipoosam (Tamil language, Tamil: Taippūcam, ) is a Tamil Hindu festival celebrated on the first Purnima, full moon day of the Tamil calendar, Tamil month of Pausha, Thai coinciding with Pushya, Pusam Nakshatra, star. The festiv ...
festival celebrates the occasion when Kartikeya received the divine vel from his mother. During this festival, some of the devotees pierce their skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers while they undertake a procession towards the Kartikeya temple.
''Adi-vel'' is a major festival observed in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
by Tamil Hindus in July/August, known as ''Adi''. The festival takes place in cities such as
Katharagama and
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
.
The alternative interpretation of vel is that it is a symbol of wisdom/knowledge. It symbolically shows that wisdom/knowledge should be sharp as in the vel's tip, as broad and tall as the javelin. Only such wisdom is supposed to be able to destroy the darkness of ignorance.
Gallery
File:Stone vel Saluvankuppam.jpg, Stone vel from the Sangam period, Saluvankuppam, Tamil Nadu
File:Vel spear murugan karthikeyan kurunji aandavar temple kodaikaanal.jpg, Vel, used to worship in the temple
File:Murugan statue srisailam.jpg, Statue of Murugan with Vel
File:Karttikeya With Spear And Cock in a coin of Yaudheyas.jpg, alt=Coin of the Yaudheyas 200 BCE, depicting Murugan with the Vel., Coin of the Yaudheyas 200 BC, depicting Murugan with the Vel
See also
*
Trishula
The ''trishula'' () is a trident, a divine symbol, commonly used as one of the principal symbols in Hinduism. It is most commonly associated with the deity Shiva and widely employed in his iconography. Etymology
The name ''trishula'' ultimate ...
*
Kaumodaki
*
Sudarshana Chakra
References
External links
vel Worship in Sri Lankavel – Meaning & Definition
Weapons in Hindu mythology
Indian martial arts
Weapons of India
Kartikeya
Hindu mythology
Tamil mythology
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