Karttikeya

Gupta, 5th century
Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi, India

The god holds a spear and bottle, and rides a peacock. His tiger-claw necklace is also worn by Krishna and Manjusri. The bottle is not usually mentioned in lists of Karttikeya's attributes.

A god of war, Karttikeya (Skanda) is the son of Shiva and was fostered by the six Pleiades (from whom his name is derived). Because of this he is often depicted with six heads, although only one is shown here.