The Hindu God Ganesh - Who Is Elephant Headed God Anyway?

by Vivek Choudhary Nice life

Ganesh is one of the best known and loved deities in the Hindu pantheon of gods and is the most recognized outside of India. But who is this elephant headed fellow, and why is he so popular?

Ganesh (also spelled Ganesa or Ganesha and known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar) is the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity, fortune, and success. He is the Lord of Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles of both material and spiritual kinds. Interestingly, he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked.

Because of these attributes, brass Ganesha idol for home is widely revered by almost all castes and in all parts of India, regardless of any other spiritual affiliations. His image is found everywhere, in many different forms, and he is invoked before the undertaking of any task. Ganesh is also associated with the first Chakra, or energy wheel, which underpins all of the other Chakras and represents conservation, survival, and material well-being. He is considered to be a patron of the arts and sciences and letters. Devotees believe that if Ganesha is worshiped, he grants success, prosperity, and protection against adversity. In a lesser known role, Ganesh is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness, and pride.

The attributes and characteristics of brass antique Ganesha idols have evolved over many centuries of Indian history. Several sacred Hindu texts relate myths and anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and help explain his distinct iconography. He is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, although the Puranas(ancient Hindu and Jain texts narrating the history of the Universe and describing Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography) disagree about his birth, stating that he may have been created by Shiva, or by Parvati, or by Shiva and Parvati, or may have been discovered by Shiva and Parvati. It is a little known fact outside of India that Ganesh has a brother Skanda, worshiped particularly in southern India as the embodiment of grace, bravery, and love of virtuous deeds.

Iconic representations of Ganesh statues how considerable variation, his form changing over time from that of a simple elephant in earliest depictions to the Ganesh we know today, typically having the head of an elephant and a large round belly. He is generally shown with four arms, although the number may vary from two to sixteen. When in the four-armed configuration, he usually holds his broken tusk in his lower-right hand and a laddoo sweet in his lower-left hand, which he tastes with his trunk.

An ax or goad is held in the right upper hand, and a noose is held in the left upper hand. In a modern variation, the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned toward the viewer in a gesture of protection and fearlessness (the Abhaya mudra). Each of Ganesh idol online items carries its important spiritual significance, and they (and the number of arms used to carry them) may vary to include a water lily, mace, discus, rosary, and a bowl of sweets, musical instrument, spear or staff, depending on the specific symbology intended by the artist.