Kama (Sanskrit: कामदेव, IAST: Kāmadeva), also known as Kamadeva and Manmatha, is the Hindu god of erotic love, desire, pleasure and beauty.

[7] The Atharva Veda regards Kamadeva as the wielder of the creative power of the universe, also describing him to have been "born at first, him neither the gods nor the fathers ever equaled".

[11] Other names prominently used about Kamadeva are: Kāmadeva is represented as a young, handsome man who wields a bow and arrows.

[17] Some of the attributes of Kamadeva are: his companions are a cuckoo, a parrot, humming bees, the season of spring, and the gentle breeze.

[18] In the Taittiriya Brahmana and the epic Mahabharata, he is mentioned as a son of Dharma, the god of righteousness, and a prajapati (agent of creation).

[24][2][25][13][f] A later version of the myth is found in the Skanda Purana, according to which, Brahma creates Kama from his mind to ignite passion in the prajapatis (agents of creation) after they refused to procreate.

[29][4] Kama also leads the celestial nymphs, the apsaras, and they are often sent by Indra—the king of heaven—to disturb the penance of sages to prevent them from achieving divine powers.

[34][31] In this variant, the gods, desperate for a warrior to vanquish Taraka, send Kamadeva to disrupt Shiva's meditation.

Accompanied by his wife Rati (goddess of pleasure) and the spirit of Spring (Madhu or Vasanta), Kamadeva approaches Shiva, who is deep in meditation.

As the god of desire, Kamadeva introduces feelings of envy, hatred, and anger into Shiva's mind—emotions that are traditionally considered the antithesis of spiritual equilibrium.

[36] After successfully infiltrating Shiva's mind and senses, Kamadeva escalates his attack by drawing his famous floral arrows.

He shoots this arrow directly at Shiva's heart, which momentarily stirs feelings of desire in the god for Parvati.

Enraged by the disturbance, Shiva opens his third eye, from which fire emerges and instantly reduces Kamadeva to ashes.

This transformation marks a new phase in the existence of desire—it becomes an unseen force, influencing the world in ways that are not immediately visible.

Kamadeva's arrows fail to fully penetrate Shiva's concentration, demonstrating the supreme yogi's ability to resist even the most potent forces of passion.

[16] In the narrative, Kama is reincarnated in the womb of Krishna's wife Rukmini as Pradyumna, after being burned to ashes by Shiva.

[44] In Hindu traditions for the marriage ceremony itself, the bride's feet are often painted with pictures of Suka, the parrot vahana of Kamadeva.

[46] Kamadeva appears in many stories and becomes the object of devotional rituals for those seeking health, and physical beauty, husbands, wives, and sons.

The Kamadeva that was incinerated is believed to be a celestial demigod capable of inducing love and lusty desires.

[52][53][54] When Kamadeva is referenced as smara in Bhāgavata Purāṇa (book 10) in the context of the supramundane love between Krishna and the gopis (cowherd maidens), he is not the Deva who incites lusty feelings.

"arousal of desire") experienced by the gopis have been described in a commentary (by Vishvanatha Cakravarti) as follows:[55] "First comes attraction expressed through the eyes, then intense attachment in the mind, then determination, loss of sleep, becoming emaciated, uninterested in external things, shamelessness, madness, becoming stunned, and death.

"[52] The beauty of Krishna's consort, Radha, is without equality in the universe, and her power constantly defeats the god of love, Kamadeva.

Some other temples dedicated or related to this deva: Letitia Elizabeth Landon's descriptive poem Manmadin, the Indian Cupid, floating down the Ganges appeared in The Literary Gazette, 1822 (Fragment in Rhyme VII.)