Lord Ganesha
Lord Ganesha is a deity of the Hindu pantheon and the son of Lord Shiva. Ganesha is a prominent figure within modern Hinduism and is one of the most highly revered beings. Wisdom and knowledge are among his primary attributes. It is quite common in India to pray to Ganesha at the beginning of a new journey, either literally or mentally. Ganesha’s head is that of an elephant’s and due to that, Ganesha is easily distinguishable. Additionally, he is known by 108 separate names.
One of the more important Hindu festivals is Ganesha’s birthday, known as Ganesha Chaturthi. It is quite common for Indian people to bring statues of Ganesha into their homes on this day for worship. These practices are thought to bring good luck and fortune.
The Origin of Lord Ganesha
The story says that the Goddess Parvathi was taking a bath and formed an idol of Ganesha and gave life to him during a bath in order to protect her door from passerby’s. When Parvathi’s husband, Lord Shiva, returned home, Lord Ganesha attempted to stop on Parvathi’s orders. This resulted in Shiva cutting off the head of Ganesha in a fit of rage. Once Parvathi arrived, she was not happy to see what happened to her new son. She then ordered devas to search for a new head for Ganesha. Unfortunately, all they could find was an elephant head. So, Lord Shiva placed the elephant head upon Ganesha and brought him back to life.
This article was last revised on 02/26/2020.
