Skanda Sashti

Skanda Sashti falls on the sixth day of the waxing moon in the Tamil month of Aippasi, and is observed over six days ending in Soorasamharam — the re-enactment of Murugan defeating Surapadman with the Vel. It is the single most significant festival in the Murugan calendar.

Households keep a fast, light the vilakku each evening, and many keep a Vel at the centre of the pooja shelf for the six days. Temples at Tiruchendur, Palani and Thiruparankundram draw very large crowds.

If you are setting up for Sashti, the Vel is the piece that matters. A four to six inch Vel sits well at the centre of a home arrangement, with a vilakku either side.