Figure of Ganesha

Known as the "Remover of Obstacles" and the "Lord of New Beginnings", the elephant-headed god Ganesha is among the most beloved of Hindu deities. His image can be found at the entrance of temples devoted to Shiva, Vishnu, and Devi, to clear the path towards successful worship, as well as in Hindu domestic shrines and businesses. He is worshipped at the beginning of journeys and the start of new endeavors.

The goddess Parvati created Ganesha to keep her company while her husband, Shiva, was away for long periods of time meditating in the mountains. There are several variations to this story of creation-whether Ganesha was formed from a paste of ground lentils and turmeric used as a body scrub, the dry skin Parvati rubbed off her body after her bath, from sandalpaste with which she anointed her own body, or a combination of these. One day Parvati instructed Ganesha to guard the door so that she could bathe in privacy. Shiva returned home to find an unfamiliar child barring his entry into his own home. In anger, he sliced off the boy's head with his trident, flinging it far away. Parvati was devastated and pleaded for Shiva to restore life to their son. Shiva sent his attendants (ganas) into the jungle to bring him the head of the first living being they came upon, which happened to be that of an elephant. Shiva attached the elephant head to the boy, whom he now accepted as his son.

Here Ganesha sits on a lotus throne, his head framed by a lotus nimbus. Like his father, Shiva, he has a third or "inner" eye on his forehead and wears an upativa (sacred cord) around his ample waist. In his four hands he holds a mala (prayer beads) used in meditation, an axe for removing obstacles in the lives of his devotees; one of his tusks, which he broke off himself in order to transcribe the Hindu epic Mahabharata, believing that a regular pen was unsuitable for such a sacred task; and a bowl of laddus, a popular Indian treat even today. Renowned for his immense appetite, Ganesha's trunk reaches into the bowl of sweets.