Murugan (Tamil: முருகன், Sanskrit:सुब्रह्मण्य, Hindi: कार्तिकेय, Kannada: ಸುಬ್ರಹ್ಮಣ್ಯ,Telugu: సుబ్రహ్మణ్యేశ్వర స్వామి, Malayalam: ശ്രീ സുബ്രഹ്മണ്യസ്വാമി ) also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influence, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the Arupadaiveedu temples, located in Tamil Nadu. In Sri Lanka, Hindus as well as Buddhists revere the sacred historical Nallur Kandaswamy temple in Jaffna and the sacred Buddhist and Hindu shrine or Kataragama temple (also in Sinhala "Katharagama Devalaya") dedicated to him, situated deep south in the country. Chinese in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, of Malaysia al