Muruga
He has many names, but I would like to call him here as, The Cheyon of Kurinji. As the tholkapiam describes "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent,” The God of Kurinji (Hills and slopes) landscape, who turned out to be the most favoured God of the tamils.
Of course, vedic skanda is the God of war, our equivalent of Aries or Mars, who successfully leads the armies of the gods against the asura Surpadman and his brothers, with his eventual slaying. Of all things, apparently he decides to become a mango tree, which is split to become a Peacock and a Rooster, which are taken up by Muruga. This is celebrated as Soorasamharam at Tiruchandur every year.
Scholars feel that the evolution of worship of Muruga/Skanda/Kartikeya is a good example of religious syncretisation that could have happened between local worship of Cheyon of Kurinji, with that of Vedic Skanda. Skanda in the North is supposed to be celibate, whereas our Muruga has Valli, a tribal girl, and Deyvayani, Indra's daughter, in a way embracing the local, as well as the national, I suppose.
https://www.thehindu.com/books/The-study-and-evolution-of-Skanda-Kartikeya-forms/article15523348.ece
https://templesinindiainfo.com/importance-of-karthigai-deepam-the-history-of-karthikai-deepam/
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