Ganesh is one of the best known and loved deities in the Hindu pantheon of gods, and indeed is the most recognized outside of India. But who is this elephant headed fellow, and why is he so popular?
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.
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 of 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.
References and Further Reading
Brown, Robert 1991. Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God. State University of New York Press, Albany
Getty, Alice 1936. Ganesha: A Monograph on the Elephant-Faced God (reprinted 1992) Clarendon Press, Oxford
Lama, Mukhiya N 2003. Ritual Objects and Deities: an Iconography on Buddhism & Hinduism. Lama Art Publishing
Vaidyanathan, Sunil 2003. Ganesha, the God of India. English Edition. English Edition Publishers and Distributors (India) Pty Ltd.
Wikipedia 2008. Ganesha. Accessed Mach 2017
