things you should know about ganesh

Interesting facts about God Ganesh

Devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas'. The festival to celebrate and glorify him is called Ganesh Chaturthi.

Scenes showing Ganesh with his parents rather belong to popular folklore. Seem to be rare in the classic iconography. Thus, Shiva, Pârvatî, Ganesh and his brother Kartikkeya are often depicted on lithos and even vimana temples in South India.

Ganesh is also carved with his parents Shiva and Pârvatî in the cave n°21 in Ellora. This carving represents the divine mariage (vaivâhika-mûrti) and the baby Ganesh stands at the goddess'es feet.

Ganesha is also defined as Omkara or Aumkara, that is "having the form of Om (or Aum) (see the section The names of Ganesha). In fact, the shape of his body is a copy of the outline of the Devanagari letter which indicates the celebrated Bija Mantra. For this reason, Ganesha is considered the bodily incarnation of the entire Cosmos, He who is at the base of all of the phenomenal world (Vishvadhara, Jagadoddhara). Moreover, in the Tamil language, the sacred syllable is indicated precisely by a character which recalls the shape of the elephant's head of Ganesha.

Many statues from Ganesha come in different sizes and shapes and come in different materials including, wood, stone, metal, resin, fiber and the like. You can find Ganesha statues which are totally detailed. There are different brass Ganesha statues which are a collector’s item. These statues are very exotic looking and give your home an ambiance of total exotic beauty.

The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the Mudgala Purana, Ganesha has a mouse (shrew) in five of them, uses a lion in his incarnation as Vakratunda, a peacock in his incarnation of Vikata, and Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as Vighnaraja. Of the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the Ganesha Purana, Mohotkata has a lion, Mayūreśvara has a peacock, Dhumraketu has a horse, and Gajanana has a mouse. Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram, or peacock.

Ganesh is depicted with an elephant's head on a human body and in the Hindu tradition he is the son of Lord Siva and the Goddess Parvati. He is known as the Remover of Obstacles and is prayed to particularly when people are beginning a new enterprise or starting a new business. Ganesh is also known as the patron god of travelling.