Ganesha is the god of obstacles - the creator of obstacles and the remover of obstacles. In this capacity Ganesha is worshipped by Hindus of every sect. He is the god with the most followers in the Brahmin religion. He fills many roles, in addition to being the god of obstacles. He's also worshipped as a protector and, variously, as the god of wisdom, arts and sciences, literature and poetry, and agriculture.
Ganesha has a human from with the head of an elephant. It is believed that this from evolved from a god of the indigenous people of an India, who worshipped elephants. Sculptures of an elephant-headed god, in the 2nd century Amaravati art style, have been found. These early sculptures might not represent Ganesha, god of obstacles - it is possible that they represent the indigenous god and served as the prototype for later Ganesha images. The earliest sculptures of Ganesha might have been made during the Mathura period or the beginning of the Gupta period, at the end of the 3rd century. They were later found in all regions of India from around the 5th century. Ganesha worship later spread to other countries: Tibet, Nepal, China, Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Japan. Characteristics of Ganesha images found in these countries have close similarities, although differences can be seen in the various art forms that developed, with national characteristics, from the earliest basic forms into more complex forms, along with the religious beliefs.
Hindu religious texts describe many Ganesha, with thousands of forms in various incarnations throughout Brahmin history. Ganesha has a human body with the head of an elephant, with a single tusk and big ears. He has a short, squat body, colored red, with a big belly and four arms. A rat is his vehicle. His most important forms include the infant Ganesha, juvenile Ganesha, Ganesha together with Devi (Hindu goddess), Ganesha as the protector, as a warrior with sixteen arms, in the standing attitude with four arms, in dancing from, etc.
Belief in Ganesha originated in India, but may not have originated with the Aryans; it is possible that it arose from the indigenous people of India who practiced totemism (animal worship) from protohistoric time. The elephant, a very large and powerful animal, was worshipped as a tribal god, along with many other animals.
In the later Vedic times, when the Aryans migrated to India and established the Brahmin religion, they incorporated local beliefs and god from the indigenous population. Later still, the elephant god was made into the icon Ganesha, with the body of a human and the head of an elephant. The idea of gods with animal heads probably came from Egypt, where, from ancient times, many gods were depicted with animal head-for example, Anubis, god of the dead, with the head of a jackal, and Horus, god of head of a hawk.
Ganesha has the unique characteristics of a human body and the head an elephant. He is known by the names "Gajanna", "Gajanan","Gajamuk" or "Krimuk", which mean "with the face of an elephant", or "Gajagaranaka", which means "one who looks like an elephant", or "elephant-life". He is sometimes shown with more than one head, having anywhere from two five heads or more. He has very big ears and is called "Surapakan" or "one with cars like a krajad (a large bamboo tray)", or "Lampakan"- "one with elongated earlobes". He is shown with two or three eyes, with the third eye on his forehead, and sometimes with a crescent moon on his forehead or worn as a crown.
The god Ganesha has only one tusk, and is called " Ekatanta', or "one who has one tusk"- the right tusk-the left tusk is broken. Different stories of how Ganesha lost his tusk appear in various hindu religious texts. Some texts say that the elephant head which was attached to his body only had one tusk; others say that Ganesha was born of Parvati Devi with an elephant head, and lost the tusk in a fight with Siva, who cut the tusk with his axe. Still others say that his tusk was broken by the elephant-faced asura (demon) called Gajamukhasun-Ganesha later recovered it and used it as a weapon yo defeat Gajamukhasun. and other sat...etc.
Ganesha has a human body, short and fat with a big belly, and is called "Lampothon"-"one with a big, sagging belly"-or "Mahothon"-"one with a big belly". A big belly is seen as a characteristic of a wise person- Ganesha is worshipped as the god of wisdom and of various arts and sciences. The reason Ganesha has a big belly,according to the legends is because he love to eat, especially the sweet dessert called motaka. Motaka is made of flour, rolled into small balls, mixed with sugar and coconut. The Patmapurana text explains that motaka represents great wisdom-the wisdom of Ganesha. Sculptures of Ganesha, god of wisdom, usually show him holding a cup of motaka in his hand.
Ganesha is usually shown with four arms, but can have anywhere from two to sixteen arms. His arms hold symbols, depending on the occasion, such as sweets, fruit, a sesame seed, a plant shoot, a bundle of rice sheaves, a lotus, a rosary, a book, a stylus, a water pot, jewelry, a bunch of flowers, or weapons.
The four most important symbols carried by Ganesha are:
1) Pasa (lasso)-an instrument used to destroy desire or craving
2) Angusa (elephant hook)-represents control, or a means to steer one in the right direction
3) Tanta (broken tusk)-a divine weapon for destroying obstacles
4) Varamudra (attitude of blessing)-represents a wish for success |
When Ganesha is shown riding his vehicle,the rat or with his flag depicting the image of a rat,he is known as Akhuratha- "one who rides a rat". A divine legend says that Ganesha's rat was originally the elephant-faced demon Gajamukhasun, who fought with Ganesha, was defeated and then disguised himself as a rat and ran away. Ganesha, however, caught him and used him as his vehicle. There are many
explanations why the rat is the vehicle of Ganesha-some say that since the rat is able to gnaw through obstacles, it is an appropriante vehicle for Ganesha, god of obstacles. Another story says that the rat is quick-minded, and appropriate for Ganesha as the god of wisdom. Another legend says that the rat is an enemy of rice, which somehow become associated with Ganesha's role as the god of agriculture.
Anthropologists believe that the reson why Ganesha rides a rat probably derives from the story of ancient tribal elephant worshippers who defeated other tribes who worshipped rats. Another theory is that Ganesha originated from the indigenous god of a tribe who worshipped the sun-the rat is a symbol of darkness, so Ganesha's riding the rat symbolizes the victory of the sun over darkness.
Various religious texts describe three kinds of vehicles for Ganesha-the lion, the peacock and the rat. Ganesha usually rides a rat,but is occasionally depicted on a peacock (in thw form of Vikot) or lion (the liond when Ganesha is shown as the protector god).
According to old Brahmin concepts, Ganesha was a virgin, without wives. The Sakti culi,or cult of the mother goddess, later became widespread; followers of Ganesha might have been influenced by this, and created awife, or Sakti, for Ganesha. This wife differed during the_various religious periods, and had many names,such as Lakshmi, Viganesvari, Rithi, Buddhi, Sitthi, etc. The most well know wives were Buddhi wisdom) and Sitthi (success). Ganesha has two sons: Kasem Zborn of BuddhiX and Lap (born of Sitthi).
The iconography of Ganesha with his wife is called Sakti-Ganisa, and represents abundance. His wife, or devi, always sits on his knee and has two arms-one holding a lotus, the other around Ganesha. Iconography of this type consists of many attitudes. |
