Ganesha
Image of Ganesha
Ganesha has a human body and an elephant's head.
Ganesha, miniature painting. Here he is seen riding on his vajana (vehicle), a giant rat or bandicoot. With his trunk he plays a white sweet (not a laddu, as it is dark brown). His chest is adorned with a serpent (an animal associated with his father Shiva). In his far right hand, he holds an ankusha (an instrument for steering elephants). A human attendant holds a parasol over his head. Anonymous painting on water-marked wove paper, circa 1816. In the British Museum.
A 13th-century statue of Ganesha, created in the Mysore district of Karnataka, India.
Ganesha or Ganesh is one of the best-known and most worshipped gods of the Hindu pantheon. His physical form is a human body with an elephant head. He is widely revered for his power to remove obstacles, patron of the arts and sciences, and is considered the Lord of abundance.
