Ganesha

Hindu god of new beginnings, wisdom and luck / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश, IAST: Gaṇeśa), also spelled Ganesh, and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon[4] and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India.[5] Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations.[6] Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India.[7]

Quick facts: Ganesha, Affiliation, Abode, Mantra, Weapon... ▼
Ganesha
God of New Beginnings, Wisdom and Luck; Remover of Obstacles[1][2]
Supreme God (Ganapatya)
Attired in an orange dhoti, a four-armed elephant-headed man sits on a large lotus. His body is red in colour and he wears various golden necklaces and bracelets and a snake around his neck. On the three points of his crown, budding lotuses have been fixed. He holds in his two right hands the rosary (lower hand) and a cup filled with three modakas (round yellow sweets), a fourth modaka held by the curving trunk is just about to be tasted. In his two left hands, he holds a lotus in the upper hand and an axe in the lower one, with its handle leaning against his shoulder.
Basohli miniature, c. 1730. National Museum, New Delhi.[3]
AffiliationDeva, Brahman (Ganapatya), Saguna Brahman (Panchayatana puja)
Abode• Mount Kailash (with parents)
• Svānandaloka
MantraOṃ Shri Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ
Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ
WeaponParaśu (axe), pāśa (noose), aṅkuśa (elephant goad)
SymbolsSwastika, Om, Modak
DayTuesday and Wednesday
MountMouse
TextsGanesha Purana, Mudgala Purana, Ganapati Atharvashirsa
GenderMale
FestivalsGanesh Chaturthi, Ganesh Jayanti
Personal information
Parents
SiblingsKartikeya (brother)
ConsortBuddhi, Riddhi and Siddhi or celibate in some traditions
Equivalents
Japanese Buddhist equivalentKangiten
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Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head and four arms.[8] He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and thought to bring good luck;[9][10] the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of intellect and wisdom.[11] As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as a patron of letters and learning during writing sessions.[2][12] Several texts relate anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits.

While scholars differ about his origins dating him between 1st century BCE and 2nd century CE, Ganesha was well established by the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta period and had inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors.[13] Hindu texts identifies him as the son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is a pan-Hindu god found in its various traditions.[14][15] In the Ganapatya tradition of Hinduism, Ganesha is the Supreme Being.[16] The principal texts on Ganesha include the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana and the Ganapati Atharvasirsha.

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