The Red Commander — Planet Mars, Lord of Valour
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Mangala — also called Aṅgāraka ("the burning coal"), Kuja ("the earth-born") and Bhauma — is the personification of the planet Mars among the Navagraha: the red commander of the celestial court. He rides a ram, carries a trident and a mace, and is depicted of red complexion; Varāhamihira's Brihat Jataka (Ch 2, v 5) assigns Mars the colour red outright.
His day is Tuesday (Maṅgalavāra); his direction, the South; his gem, red coral; his metal, copper. In Jyotisha he governs valour, energy, competition and the engineering crafts — the fierce side of the court, whose gift is courage and whose caution is anger: a flame to be aimed, not indulged.
His worship is entwined with Skanda (Kartikeya/Murugan), commander of the gods: devotees facing Mars's periods commonly worship Skanda and Hanuman, offer red lentils and red cloth on Tuesdays, and practise the disciplining of temper as the behavioural remedy the tradition most emphasises. Vaitheeswarankoil in Tamil Nadu is his classical parihara shrine on the Navagraha circuit.
Not to be confused with the Śhākta goddess Mangala of Kakatpur (Odisha) — a distinct, much-loved temple tradition sharing the sacred name. See Mangala (Kakatpur) for that tradition.
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