Ganesha, or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most revered and worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme god in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India. " is often said to be the most worshipped god in India." ", Lord of the , although among the latest deities to be admitted to the Brahmanic pantheon, was, and still is, the most universally adored of all the Hindu gods and his image is found in practically every part of India." Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Ganesha also holds the Title of "Pratham Pujya" (the god to be worshipped initially before the worship of any other Deity). Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India.Chapter XVII, "The Travels Abroad", in: . For a review of Ganesha's geographic spread and popularity outside of India. , For discussion of the spread of Ganesha worship to Nepal, Chinese Turkestan, Tibet, Burma, Siam, Indo-China, Java, Bali, Borneo, China, and Japan
Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head and four arms.Martin-Dubost, p. 2. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck;For Ganesha's role as an eliminator of obstacles, see commentary on , verse 12 in the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of logic, intellect, and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked during writing sessions as a patron of letters and learning.Vigna means "obstacles", while Nasha means "destroy". These ideas are so common that Courtright uses them in the title of his book, Ganesha: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings. Several texts relate anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits.
Ganesha is mentioned in Hindu texts between the 1st century BCE and 2nd century CE, and a few Ganesha images from the 4th and 5th centuries CE have been documented by scholars.Narain, A.K. ": The Idea and the Icon" in Hindu texts identify him as the son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is a pan-Hindu god found in its various traditions. In the Ganapatya tradition of Hinduism, Ganesha is the Supreme Being. For history of the development of the and their relationship to the wide geographic dispersion of Ganesha worship, see: Chapter 6, "The " in: . The principal texts on Ganesha include the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvasirsha.
Etymology and other names
Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati (Ganpati), Vighneshvara, and Pillaiyar. The Hindu title of respect Shri (; IAST: ; also spelled Sri or Shree) is often added before his name.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana (), meaning a 'group, multitude, or categorical system' and isha (), meaning 'lord or master'.* Narain, A. K. ": A Protohistory of the Idea and the Icon". . . The word gaṇa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaṇas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva, Ganesha's father.For the derivation of the name and relationship with the , see: The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the " to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements.The word gaṇa is interpreted in this metaphysical sense by Bhāskararāya in his commentary on the . See in particular commentary on verse 6 including names and in: . Ganapati (; ), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of , meaning "group", and , meaning "ruler" or "lord". Though the earliest mention of the word Ganapati is found in hymn 2.23.1 of the 2nd-millennium BCE Rigveda, it is uncertain that the Vedic term referred specifically to Ganesha.Rigveda Mandala 2 , Hymn 2.23.1, Wikisource, Quote: गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् । ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पत आ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥१॥; For translation, see The Amarakosha, for source text of 1.38 as . for text of versified as 1.1.38. an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha: Vinayaka, (equivalent to Vighnesha), (one who has two mothers),Y. Krishan, : Unravelling an Enigma, 1999, p. 6): "Pārvati who created an image of out of her bodily impurities but which became endowed with life after immersion in the sacred waters of the Gangā. Therefore he is said to have two mothers—Pārvati and Gangā and hence called dvaimātura and also Gāngeya." (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana (), having the face of an elephant.
Vinayaka (; ) or Binayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the s and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (, ).For the history of the sites and a description of pilgrimage practices related to them, see: The names Vighnesha (; ) and Vighneshvara (; ) (Lord of Obstacles)These ideas are so common that Courtright uses them in the title of his book, Ganesha: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings. For the name Vighnesha, see: refers to his primary function in Hinduism as the master and remover of obstacles ().For Krishan's views on Ganesha's dual nature see his quote: " has a dual nature; as Vināyaka, as a , he is , and as he is , a ." ()
A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai () or Pillaiyar ().. A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk".Narain, A. K. ": The Idea and the Icon". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".
In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne (, ), derived from Pali (). The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Khanet (can be transliterated as Ganet), or the more official title of Phra Phi Khanet. The earliest images and mention lists Ganesha as a major deity in present-day Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam dating to the 7th and 8th centuries, and these mirror Indian examples of the 5th century or earlier. In Sri Lankan, among Sinhalese Buddhists, he is known as Gana deviyo, and revered along with Vishnu, Skanda, Buddha and other deities.
Iconography
Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time.* , for a comprehensive review of iconography abundantly illustrated with pictures. Chapter X, "Development of the Iconography of ", in: , for a survey of iconography with emphasis on developmental themes, well-illustrated with plates. , for a richly illustrated collection of studies on specific aspects of Ganesha with a focus on art and iconography. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down on an elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
Ganesha images were prevalent in many parts of India by the 6th century. The 13th-century statue pictured is typical of Ganesha statuary from 900 to 1200, after Ganesha had been well-established as an independent deity with his own sect. This example features some of Ganesha's common iconographic elements. A virtually identical statue has been dated between 973 and 1200 by Paul Martin-Dubost,, p. 213. In the upper right corner, the statue is dated as (973–1200). and another similar statue is dated 12th century by Pratapaditya Pal.Pal, p. vi. The picture on this page depicts a stone statue in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that is dated as c. 12th century. Pal shows an example of this form dated c. 13th century on p. viii. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly. This statue has four arms, which is common in depictions of Ganesha. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. The motif of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a particularly archaic feature. A more primitive statue in one of the Ellora Caves with this general form has been dated to the 7th century.See photograph 2, "Large Ganesh", in: Details of the other hands are difficult to make out on the statue shown. In the standard configuration, Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a pasha (noose) in the other upper arm. In rare instances, he may be depicted with a human head.
The influence of this old constellation of iconographic elements can still be seen in contemporary representations of Ganesha. In one modern form, the only variation from these old elements is that the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned towards the viewer in a gesture of protection or fearlessness (Abhaya mudra).In:
photograph 9, "Ganesh images being taken for immersion", in: . For an example of a large image of this type being carried in a festival procession. , For two similar statues about to be immersed. The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in statues of Ganesha dancing, which is a very popular theme.In: . For many examples of Ganesha dancing. For the popularity of the dancing form.
Common attributes
Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other less-common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, he acquires the head later in most stories. The most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was created by Parvati using clay to protect her and Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati. Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. Details of the battle and where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. Another story says that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter. Because Shiva considered Ganesha too alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding belly.For creation of Ganesha from Shiva's laughter and subsequent curse by Shiva, see Varaha Purana 23.17 as cited in .
Ganesha's earliest name was Ekadanta (One Tusked), referring to his single whole tusk, the other being broken. Some of the earliest images of Ganesha show him holding his broken tusk. The importance of this distinctive feature is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that the name of Ganesha's second incarnation is Ekadanta.Granoff, Phyllis. " as Metaphor". Ganesha's protruding belly appears as a distinctive attribute in his earliest statuary, which dates to the Gupta period (4th to 6th centuries)."Ganesha in Indian Plastic Art" and Passim. This feature is so important that according to the Mudgala Purana, two different incarnations of Ganesha use names based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly, or, literally, Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly).Granoff, Phyllis. " as Metaphor". Both names are Sanskrit compounds describing his belly (IAST: ).For translation of Udara as "belly" see: The Brahmanda Purana says that Ganesha has the name Lambodara because all the universes (i.e., cosmic eggs; IAST: ) of the past, present, and future are present in him. Br. P. 2.3.42.34