Ganesha (deity)

Symbol: Elephant head

Culture: Hindu

Mother: Parvati

Father: Shiva

Siblings: Kartikeya

Also known as: Ganapati, Vinayaka, Pillaiyar

In the Hindu religion, Ganesha is one of the most important deities. The others are Vishnu, Shiva, and Maa Durga. Ganesha is also worshipped in Jainism and Buddhism. He is the most important deity for the Ganapatya Hindu sect. Ganesha is also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar. Ganesha’s different names signify his different personae. The image of Ganesha is found not only in India but also in Sri Lanka and Nepal. In Afghanistan too, before the arrival of Islam, people worshipped the Hindu and Buddhist deities. Ganesha’s images appear in Jain temples in the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Ganesha is popularly worshipped as a deity who removes obstacles. To invoke the blessings of Lord Ganesha, people recite with faith and devotion many shlokas, stotras, and mantras. In many homes that honor Ganesha, the prayer ceremony known as aarti is performed. Shiva made his son Ganesha the most important god.

In the state of Maharashtra, India, the ten-day-long festival of Ganapati is celebrated annually with much fanfare. This festival, also known as the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, falls in the month of Bhadrapada (according to the Hindu calendar). On the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, images of Ganesha are immersed in water. In 1893, this household festival was transformed into a public event by Lokmanya Tilak, a freedom fighter and a social reformer.

Ganesh Jayanti is the birthday of Ganesha. It is celebrated on the fourth day of the month of Magha. Ganesha has always captivated the thinking of the people all over the world—from ancient times to the present day.

In Mythology

Ganesha is portrayed in the Indian, Cambodian, and Javanese cultures, among others, as the god with an elephant head. There are many legends about him that tell us how Ganesha was created. It is said that Parvati created him by molding the earth into the shape of a boy. One legend says that Parvati put some sandalwood paste from her body on Nandi, the bull of Shiva. Then she breathed life into it and thus created Ganesha, her most loyal son.

Shiva was once on one of his meditative wanderings, and upon returning home, he found a boy guarding his wife Parvati while she bathed. Shiva was outraged to learn from the boy that he had fathered the youth who was guarding Parvati. Following his mother’s instructions, the boy also prevented his father from approaching Parvati while she bathed. Shiva was furious with the boy’s behavior and called his demons, the bhutaganas, to fight him. Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of Maya, which means "illusion," to intervene. Ganesha, the little boy, got distracted when he saw the beautiful Maya. Thus, the demons were able to severe the head from the defenseless boy’s body.

Parvati, on hearing the sounds of fierce fighting outside, ran from her bath. When she saw the severed head of her son, she begged Shiva to replace it. Shiva ordered his men to go in search of a head to place on his son’s body. The elephant was the first animal Shiva’s men saw; the elephant was lying on the ground with its head facing north. The men severed the elephant’s head and took it to Shiva. He placed the retrieved head on the body of the boy and invoked life back into him.

Ganesha was intelligent and also wise. One day, he and his brother Kartikeya, also known as Skanda or Murugan, took up a challenge to find a bride by circling the earth. The one who did so first would win the challenge. Kartikeya immediately mounted his blue peacock to begin the journey. Ganesha, meanwhile, went home to embrace his parents. He then quoted a line from the sacred texts known as the Vedas: "He who embraces his parents seven times gains the merit of encircling the earth." Ganesha was the winner of the challenge. Ganesha, thus, got married first before his brother. Kshema and Lraha became Ganesha’s wives. They were the daughters of Buddhi and Siddhi, names that mean "wisdom" and "success."

Ganesha was very fond of sweets. One day, he ate a lot of rice dishes known as modaks. While digesting this treat, he rode around on his giant rat. The rat got frightened when it saw a snake and threw Ganesha down. Ganesha fell on his stomach, which then burst open. Unperturbed by what had happened, Ganesha picked up all the modaks, put them back in his belly, and then tied the snake around his waist.

Ganesha is believed to have written the epic poem Mahabharata with the tip of his tusk; it is said that the poem was dictated to him by the sage Vyasa. Thus, Ganesha became associated with writers and intellectuals.

Origin and Cults

The Ganapatya sect of devotees considered Ganesha as its supreme deity. There are works devoted to Ganesha—namely, the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. One of the ways Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting his thousand names, which were cited in the Sahasranama. There are several different figures in Indian art depicting Ganesha. His images began appearing with greater frequency in many parts of India starting in the fifth century CE. Craftsmen and artists have depicted the image of Ganesha in many different mediums. There are eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra, India. Different states in India have a different name for Ganesha depending on the languages spoken. He also has different names in areas of Burma, Thailand, and Sri Lanka.

Beginning in the tenth century CE, Ganesha was worshipped as the main deity among the trading communities. Flowers such as jasud, hibiscus, and other white flowers are offered to Lord Ganesha; other offerings include grass, sindoor, incense sticks, and ladoos. Ganesha’s devotees ask for the god’s blessings before they undertake anything new. All the different characteristics of Ganesha have evolved over many centuries of India history.

A primitive statue dating from the seventh century CE is seen in the Ellora Caves in India. On this statue of Ganesah, one can see a tilak, a mark on the forehead, that consists of three horizontal lines. This tilak represents the third eye. There are several different figures in Indian art depicting Ganesha, including images that show him standing, dancing, fighting demons, and playing as a little boy.

In Popular Culture

During the twentieth century, much of the world outside of India began to discover Ganesha. The elephant figure closely associated with the deity became a popular one in western countries.

Bibliography

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Ridgeon, Lloyd, ed. Major World Religions: From Their Origins to the Present. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. Print.

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Sukumar, Raman. The Living Elephants: Evolutionary Ecology, Behavior, and Conservation. New York: Oxford UP, 2003. Print.

Waghorne, Joanne Punzo. Diaspora of the Gods: Modern Hindu Temples in an Urban Middle-Class World. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Print.