In Haryana, in Pahowa, Kurukshetra district, is a temple dedicated to Kartikeya. No woman is allowed to enter this temple as the deity here is a bachelor and because the deity is the god of war and death. The deity, identified with Kartikeya, has no skin. He gave it to his mother so that no woman would find him attractive and so not marry him and risk becoming a war widow. Oil is poured on the body of this war-mongering deity to calm him down and to please all soldiers who have died in battle. It is said that Yudhishtira was advised by Krishna to visit this shrine and pour oil on the image of
...more
