Lord Kartikeya: Shiva’s prodigal son or an immortal who left Kailash for a reason

Lord Kartikeya, also known as Skanda, Murugan, or Subrahmanya, is a one of the respected deities for Hindus all over the world and especially those in the Southern parts of India. Lord Kartikeya is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and the brother to Ganesh ji.
It is said that Lord Kartikeya was born to defeat the demon Tarakasura and is always depicted as a young, handsome god with a spear in his hand and riding his peacock.
Plus, Lord Kartikeya, or Murugan as he is fondly called in the South, is shown with six faces, which are a symbol of his mastery over the five senses and the mind.

As mentioned in many ancient texts and legends, there was an extremely powerful demon named Tarakasura. Tarakasura had a boon that he could only be killed by the son of Lord Shiva who was first a Yogi and later in grief about the death of Mata Sati.

For years, Lord Shiva was in deep meditation and hence, him having a son looked impossible. But as the powers of Tarakasura grew, the Gods had to form a plan to wake Shiva up from his meditation. That is when Lord Shiva met mata Parvati and they had Kartikeya. It is said that he was born with divine powers, making him capable of defeating Tarakasura and other demons.

While there are very few Gods who have a clear death according to beliefs, Lord Kartikeya’s future is rarely ever talked about. In Hindu beliefs, immortality of the gods and goddesses are immortal in the sense that they do not age or succumb to disease or old age. However, they are not beyond the cycle of birth and rebirth too. But, for Lord Kartikeya, many believe that he too is an immortal who left the mountains to settle somewhere else.
A famous story goes - After Lord Kartikeya lost to Lord Ganesh in the competition of who can roam around the universe the fastest, after sometime he left the mountains and went to live in the Southern regions.

During the festival of Navratri, which celebrates the nine forms of the goddess Durga, one of the forms worshipped is Skandamata. Maa Skanda or Skandamata is believed to be the mother of Lord Kartikeya and is a calm, caring goddess who is shown holding her son Kartikeya in her lap. Lord Kartikeya or Skanda as he is referred to by people, is the son of Skandmata who symbolises maternal love, protection, and the nurturing aspect of the divine mother.

In Hindu beliefs there are many different stories as to why Lord Kartikeya left Mount Kailash. While some say that he left his parents home as he was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the gods' army to lead the battle against the demons and so he wanted to fulfil his sense of duty and responsibility towards his divine mission in all regions, areas and directions.
Another popular story says that when Lord Kartikeya got disappointed by his parents about them choosing to marry Lord Ganesha first, he decided to go off, leaving the Kailash parvat and make an identity of his own.