Subrahmanya Shashthi is the sixth day of the bright half of Margasira, sacred to Subrahmanya: Kumaraswamy, Kartikeya, son of Shiva and commander of the army of the gods. In the Telugu country he is very often worshipped in the form of a serpent, and the day is spent at an anthill or before the snake stones under a tree as much as in a temple. It is kept for children, for health, and to lift sarpa dosham.
The story
The demon Taraka could be killed only by a son of Shiva, who had no son and was lost in meditation. The child was born of Shiva's fire, carried by Agni and the Ganga and nursed by the six Krittika sisters, which is why he has six faces. He led the army of the gods while still a boy and killed Taraka. Margasira Shashthi is the day he is honoured for it and, in many temples, the day of his wedding to Devasena.
Tamil tradition keeps the victory a month earlier, as Skanda Shashti. The Telugu and Kannada countries keep this one.
How it is kept
- Milk at the anthillMilk, turmeric, kumkum and flowers are offered at a putta or before naga stones.
- The fastMany fast through the day, or eat once, without salt.
- Feeding a brahmachariA young unmarried boy is fed and given clothes, as a form of the boy-god.
- Kalyanam and rathotsavamTemples celebrate the wedding of Subrahmanya and Devasena and take the god out in a chariot.
- TirunalluFairs gather round the old Subrahmanya temples of the Godavari and Krishna deltas.
Why this date
Subrahmanya Shashthi is the sixth tithi (Shashthi) of the bright half of Margasira, given on the day it is in force at sunrise.
Subrahmanya Shashthi in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday | |
| 2027 | Saturday | |
| 2028 | Wednesday | |
| 2029 | Tuesday | |
| 2030 | Saturday | |
| 2031 | Friday |
More Telugu festivals
14 NovemberKarthika Pournamiకార్తీక పౌర్ణమి
2 NovemberNagula Chavithiనాగుల చవితి
20 December 2026Vaikuntha Ekadasiవైకుంఠ ఏకాదశి
29 OctoberDeepavaliదీపావళి
28 OctoberNaraka Chaturdasiనరక చతుర్దశి
9 OctoberVijayadasamiవిజయదశమి
Where to see Subrahmanya Shashthi
In the Telugu states
- Subrahmanyeswara Swamy Temple, MopideviAndhra PradeshIn the Krishna delta, where the god is worshipped as a serpent and the linga stands on a coiled snake.
- BiccavoluAndhra PradeshThe Shashthi festival at this Eastern Chalukya temple town is the largest in the Godavari districts.
Across India
- Kukke SubramanyaKarnatakaChampa Shashti is this temple's great annual festival, with a chariot pulled through the town.
- TiruchendurTamil NaduThe shore temple where, in Tamil tradition, the demon was defeated.
- PalaniTamil NaduThe most visited of the six abodes of Murugan, on a hill of nearly seven hundred steps.
- JejuriMaharashtraMaharashtra keeps the same day as Champa Shashthi, for Khandoba, in clouds of turmeric.