Four-Armed Ganesha

Remover of Obstacles

Four-Armed Ganesha (5th–6th century A.D.)Kimbell Art Museum

Ganesha

Ganesha is the elephant-headed son of Shiva, one of the three most important deities of the Hindu pantheon, and his consort, the goddess Parvati. He is widely worshiped as the remover of obstacles and the bestower of good fortune, prosperity, and health. He is also the patron of arts and writing in the Hindu culture. 

Parvati (15th century)Kimbell Art Museum

Parvati made Ganesha by scraping the oils from her skin and forming the clay into a son. Parvati is said to have created Ganesha in human form to be both a son and to act as her door guardian.

Four-Armed Ganesha (5th–6th century A.D.)Kimbell Art Museum

How did Ganesha get his
charming elephant head? It’s a brutal tale.

One day, Ganesha was guarding Parvati's chambers while she was taking a bath. When Ganesha refused to admit Shiva into Parvati’s bath chamber, the enraged god cut off the child’s head. 

In order to placate the distressed Parvati, Shiva replaced the boy’s head with that of the first living thing he could find—an elephant.

Ganesha’s boyish and chubby body and his elephant head make him an approachable and lovable deity

Hindu deities are often depicted with multiple arms to symbolize a multiplicity of superhuman powers.

Ganesha has four arms, which would each hold the deity’s usual attributes.

He would have held a bowl of sweets in his lower left hand, which his trunk extends toward to eat.

In his upper left hand, he would have held a rosary.

In his upper right hand, he would have held a noose or a weapon.

In his lower right hand, he would have held a broken tusk. This refers to the Hindu legend where Ganesha broke his tusk off in order to continue writing the Indian epic, Mahābhārata, after his quill broke.

This relief also features a snake wrapping around Ganesha’s torso and a third eye on his forehead, attributes that connect him to his father, Shiva.

His head is adorned with a floral crown and ringed by a halo.

Above him are two celestial beings holding a banner or canopy above his head.

In the lower right-hand corner, we see a kneeling devotee. He is either praying or making offerings to Ganesha. The benevolent god Ganesha grants success and prosperity and protection against adversity.

Credits: Story

The Kimbell From Home

Indian, Four-Armed Ganesha, 5th–6th century A.D. Terracotta relief. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more

Interested in Visual arts?

Get updates with your personalized Culture Weekly

You are all set!

Your first Culture Weekly will arrive this week.