The beloved elephant-faced-Deity popularly known as Ganesha has intrigued thinking men all over the world, all through the ages even unto the present day. The sacred texts give a variety of stories narrating the sequence of Ganesha's birth. The most popular being the one mentioning that Ganesha was created by Goddess Parvati as a guardian to her privacy:

Incensed by the refusal of her husband to respect her privacy, to the extent of entering her private chambers even while she was having her bath, Parvati decided to settle matters once and for all. Before going for her bath the next time, she rubbed off the sandalwood paste on her body and out of it created the figure of a young boy. She infused life into the figure and told him he was her son and should guard the entrance while she bathed.

Soon after, Shiva (Lord of destruction and husband of Parvati,) came to see Parvati but the young boy blocked his way and would not let him in. Shiva, unaware that this lad was his son, became furious and in great anger fought with this boy whose head got severed from his body in the ensuing battle. Parvati, returning from her bath, saw her headless son and threatened in her rage to destroy the heavens and the earth, so great was her sorrow.

Shiva pacified her and instructed his followers (known as ganas) to bring the head of the first living being they encounter. The first creature they encountered was an elephant. They thus cut off its head and placed it on the body of Parvati's son and breathed life into him. Thus overjoyed, Parvati embraced her son.

The son of Parvati was given the name Ganesha by Shiva. The word Ganesha is made up of gana (followers of Shiva) and isha (lord), thus Shiva appointed him the lord of his ganas.

Ganesha is usually depicted either as a pictograph or as an idol with the body of a man and the head of an elephant, having only one tusk, the other tusk appearing broken. His unique feature, besides the elephant head, is the large belly practically falling over his lower garment. On his chest, across his left shoulder, is his sacred thread, often in the form of a snake. The vehicle of Ganesha is the mouse, often seen paying obeisance to his lord.

According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesha figures with only two hands are taboo. Hence, Ganesha figures are most commonly seen with four hands which signify their divinity. Some figures may be seen with six, some with eight, some with ten, some with twelve and some with fourteen hands, each hand carrying a symbol which differs from the symbols in other hands, there being about fifty seven symbols in all, according to the findings of research scholars.

The physical attributes of Ganesha are themselves rich in symbolism. He is normally shown with one hand in the abhaya pose of protection and refuge and the second holding a sweet (modaka) symbolic of the sweetness of the realized inner self. In the two hands behind him he often holds an ankusha (elephant goad) and a pasha (noose). The noose is to convey that worldly attachments and desires are a noose. The goad is to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth. With this goad Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles.

His pot belly signifies the bounty of nature and also that Ganesha swallows the sorrows of the Universe and protects the world.

The image of Ganesha is a composite one. Four animals viz., man, elephant, the serpent and the mouse have contributed for the makeup of his figure. All of them individually and collectively have deep symbolic significance. The image of Ganesha thus represents man's eternal striving towards integration with nature. He has to be interpreted taking into consideration the fact that though millenniums rolled by, man yet remains closer to animal today than he was ever before.

The most striking feature of Ganesha is his elephant head, symbolic of auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. All the qualities of the elephant are contained in the form of Ganpati. The elephant is the largest and strongest of animals of the forest. Yet he is gentle and, amazingly, a vegetarian, so that he does not kill to eat. He is very affectionate and loyal to his keeper and is greatly swayed if love and kindness are extended to him. Ganesha, though a powerful deity, is similarly loving and forgiving and moved by the affection of his devotees. But at the same time the elephant can destroy a whole forest and is a one-man army when provoked. Ganesha is similarly most powerful and can be ruthless when containing evil.

Again, Ganesha's large head is symbolic of the wisdom of the elephant. His large ears, like the winnow, sift the bad from the good. Although they hear everything, they retain only that which is good; they are attentive to all requests made by the devotees, be they humble or powerful.

Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his  discrimination (viveka), a most important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The elephant uses its trunk to push down a massive tree, carry huge logs to the river and for other heavy tasks. The same huge trunk is used to pick up a few blades of grass, to break a small coconut, remove the hard nut and eat the soft kernel inside. The biggest and minutest of tasks are within the range of this trunk  which is symbolic of Ganesha's intellect and hiss powers of discrimination.

An intriguing aspect of Ganesha's iconography is his broken tusk, leading to the appellation Ekdanta, Ek meaning one and danta meaning teeth. It carries an interesting legend behind it:

When Parashurama one of Shiva's favorite disciples, came to visit him, he found Ganesha guarding Shiva's inner apartments. His father being asleep, Ganesha opposed Parshurama's entry. Parashurama nevertheless tried to urge his way, and the parties came to blows. Ganesha had at first the advantage, seizing Parashurama in his trunk, and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless; on recovering, Rama threw his axe at Ganesha, who recognizing it as his father's weapon (Shiva having given it to Parashurama) received it with all humility upon one of his tusks, which it immediately severed, and hence Ganesha has but one tusk.

A different legend narrates that Ganesha was asked to scribe down the epic of Mahabharata, dictated to him by its author, sage Vyasa. Taking into note the enormity and significance of the task, Ganesha realized the inadequacy of any ordinary 'pen' to undertake the task. He thus broke one of his own tusks and made a pen out of it. The lesson offered here is that no sacrifice is big enough in the pursuit of knowledge.

An ancient Sanskrit drama titled "Shishupalvadha", presents a different version. Here it is mentioned that Ganesha was deprived of his tusk by the arrogant Ravana (the villain of Ramayana), who removed it forcefully in order to make ivory earrings for the beauties of Lanka!

The little mouse whom Ganesha is supposed to ride upon is another enigmatic feature in his iconography. At a first glance it seems strange that the lord of wisdom has been granted a humble obsequious mouse quite incapable of lifting the bulging belly and massive head that he possesses. But it implies that wisdom is an attribute of ugly conglomeration of factors and further that the wise do not find anything in the world disproportionate or ugly.

The mouse is, in every respect, comparable to the intellect. It is able to slip unobserved or without our knowledge into places which we would have not thought it possible to penetrate. In doing this it is hardly concerned whether it is seeking virtue or vice. The mouse thus represents our wandering, wayward mind, lured to undesirable or corrupting grounds. By showing the mouse paying subservience to Lord Ganesha it is implied that the intellect has been tamed through Ganesha's power of discrimination.

Any attempt to penetrate the depths of the Ganesha phenomenon must note that he is born from Goddess Parvati alone without the intervention of her husband Shiva, and as such he shares a very unique and special relationship with his mother. The sensitive nature of his relationship with Parvati is made amply clear in the following tale:

As a child, Ganesha teased a cat by pulling its tail, rolling it over on the ground and causing it great pain, as naughty young boys are wont to do. After some time, tired of his game, he went to his mother Parvati. He found her in great pain and covered with scratches and dust all over. When he questioned her, she put the blame on him. She explained that she was the cat whom Ganesha had teased.

His total devotion towards his mother is the reason why in the South Indian tradition Ganesha is represented as single and celibate. It is said that he felt that his mother, Parvati, was the most beautiful and perfect woman in the universe. Bring me a woman as beautiful as she is and I shall marry her, he said. None could find an equal to the beautiful Uma (Parvati), and so the legend goes, the search is still on...

In variance with the South Indian tradition, in North India Ganesha is often shown married to the two daughters of Brahma (the Lord of Creation), namely Buddhi and Siddhi. Metaphorically Buddhi signifies wisdom and Siddhi achievement. In the sense of yoga, Buddhi and Siddhi represent the female and male currents in the human body. In visual arts this aspect of Ganesha is represented with grace and charm.  

In a different, slightly erotic version from Tantric thought, Ganesha is depicted in a form known as "Shakti Ganpati".  Here he is depicted with four arms, two of them holding symbolic implements. With the other two arms he fondles his consort, who is comfortably balanced on his left thigh. The third eye in this representation, is of course the eye of wisdom, which sees above and beyond mere physical reality.

No analysis of Lord Ganesha can be concluded without a mention of the mystical syllable AUM. The sacred AUM is the most powerful Universal symbol of the divine presence in Hindu thought. It is further said to be the sound which was generated when the world first came into being. The written manifestation of this divine symbol when inverted gives the perfect profile of the god with the elephant head.

Ganesha is thus the ONLY god to be associated in a "physical" sense with the primordial sacred sound AUM, a telling reminder of his supreme position in the Hindu pantheon.

I thought that this article had alot of good pictures and info. It really helped me with my Global project.
- Nicchia

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Lord Ganesha is my god! I respect this god as a Hindu American Im proud to wear my gold ganesha ring every day!
This is a good gallery of Ganesha art and pictures!There are many tales of this jolly,auspicous god.Praise Lord Ganesh!
- Mahesh Kumar

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I never knew the story behind Lord Ganesha n this article has taught me a lo about Him. Im very happy to have come across this article. I feel closer to him now.
Thank you very much!
- Losine

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I have felt a closeness with Ganapati since the first time that I walked into a Yoga class. I have heard a number of stories concerning his "birth" and how he came to have his head, but this one is the one I've heard the most. Thank you for assembling the many aspects of Ganesha in one place and ignore the silly person in position six.

Hari Om Tat Sat
- Timananda

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Most insightful and beautifuly written article !!!!!
Thank you for all your articles .
- Vijaya Chandramouli

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Nicely written - good stories to relate to the children in my Balvihar class. Being a collector of Ganesha art, from the sublime to the whimsical, I especially loved the various images accompanying the article.
- JK

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Thanks! I have just had a tattoo of ganesh put on my arm. The insight into his symbolism was very useful and important for me. he is a great character to have with me for the rest of my life.
- Henning

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This is the best article I have come across so far in my life explaining all the different aspects of our beloved Gaurdian and Remover of all obstacles and Giver of success in all diversity of our lifes.The very new aspect of him that I have not known so far that is him fondling his consort is really a very enlighting feelings for me and I very much hope that I will worship him more lovingly and with full of wonderfull imaginations and its very juicy to make him my very personal Deity.
- Suresh (devi-devotee@hotmail.com)

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Do these critical folks not READ that the 'om' is INVERTED to show the likeness of Ganesha? READ before you criticize, please!
- Alison

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Your website is total speculation, which scriptures are you speakin from. You just made this up or your granny told you?
Call out Gouranga be happy
- Gouranga

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enjoyable and insightful. i think the last image at the end is wrong. the aum is upside down...is that bad luck ;)
- nishan

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I thank you for writing an article about the Hindu god I feel closest to in a manner that allowed me (as new and inexperienced as I am) to understand as well as to learn. Your writing abilities are excellent.
Thanks again,

- Raphaeline

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I was doing an image search for "om" when I came across your site. I was aghast to see that the "om" picture that you have posted on it is UPSIDE DOWN! I'm sure you didn't mean to put it that way, but I just thought I would tell you, you know, for future reference.
- ranjit

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An excellent article.
- Esther Mehta

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This is by far one of the best articles so far from your website. Amazing how we are still learning new things about Hindu Mythology everyday. Lord Ganesh is indeed one of the most beloved of our deities. I enjoyed this article very much. Thank you.
- Mangala Suri

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thanks for the amazing read. i am still wondering, however about the significance of the umbrella in some depictions of ganesha. can you tell me more about this?
- libby (icanseethatstar@yahoo.com)

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I first found your web site a week ago when searching for pictures of Ganesha. I really appreciate the informative and interesting articles. You are educating me with the stories and the picture links are wonderful. Thank you.
- Carolyn Relei

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Brilliant article - has helped me and my brother do some Religious Studies homework.
Thank
- Scott Walden

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Tham you for rendering hommage to Sri Ganapati. He is the deity that lost his head to gain instead an elephant's head, meaning that whoever is ready to lose his ego's intelligence, will recieve divine intelligence, memory, and direct communication with the cosmos as a gigantic brain. No wonder why most Hindu prayers starts with an hommage to him before addressing to higher deities such as Shiva, or Laksshmi: he is the communication and computing system without which prayers cannot go to heaven, and without which heavens cannot shown signs, such as planets, which indicate the figure of the events to come or having come. He is rightfully the favourite figure of computer and Internet figure in India, the mouse he rides on being not only the mouse one clicks with, but the symbol of the elusive and always grasping human ego.
- Francis Miville

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Thank you so much for yet another wonderful article. I have learned so much about Eastern philosophy, iconography, and theology through reading your monthly articles. I keep a file of them, and often refer to one or another in preparing presentations at the Interfaith Center I help direct. Please continue your very important contribution to the education and enlightenment of human kind. Gratefully,
- Dena Blay-Stroba

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Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah
I will be sure to think of you all when i give offereings to Ganesha in Bali soon!
- Kelvin

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Great cite- I'm conducting a formal and iconographical analysis of Ganesha and this cite has greatly helped me piece together the history etc. around this wonderful Hindu icon. Thank you!
- Kristen

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It is a good article ! But please , if you have another information about Him , anything send to me or write another article . I make dayli laya with his mantra and He help me very very much, so i want to know everything about GANESHA in all three worlds ! Thanks
- Emanuel

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brilliant article - it really helped me with my art homework. Thankyou

- Jamie Mileham

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Thank you for a great article on Lord Ganesha. It is not often that you find a site that explains all facets of Ganesha. I must say I learned something new.
- Suren Naidoo (snaidoo@galix.com)

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Thanks for your comments on Ganeshain the Alchemy group. I live in MASS and a few years ago after a huge snow---we carved a giant ganesha in a mountain of snow without arms---just a giant head---it brought us great luck--but funny looks from the neighbors.
- G. Morell

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Thank you so very much for the facinating discourse on Lord Ganesha. I brought an image of Ganesha home with me from a trip to India and Nepal last year and small children are facinated by it..I now have a proper legend to tell that will intrigue and guide at the same time. Your site is wonderful. Thank you again.
- Sandy

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I wish to thank you for the enlightening stories about Ganesha.
- Joe

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I wanted to wrte to thank you for the article on the lord Ganesha. I loved reading the stories, and learning more about this wonderful being. Of late I, personally, have felt drawn to him, and feel that he has become a positive presence in my life. Again, thank you. Peace
- Walter

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What a wonderful essay on Ganesha! My husband and I have been studying hinduism for the last year and have a particular affinity to Ganesha. Your article gave significance to parts of his tale that I hadn't heard before. Thank You So Much
- Allison Hancock

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I know very little of India's traditions and mythology, but I have always been drawn to the figure of Ganesha. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Respectfully
- Charlene

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