Lord Ganesh – The World’s Most Popular Deity

May 10, 2007

One can identify Lord Ganesh easily among thirty hundred and three million Hindu gods and goddesses because He has the head of an elephant and a human body. This is not unusual. The combination of man and animal in the same form is seen in the history and mythology of other countries as well like, Assur in Babylone has the head of a bird. Minos in Crete is seen with the head of a bull. The Horus has the head of a hawk and Anubis is known for possessing the head of a jackal. They are synonymous with Egypt. We also find goddesses possessing animal heads like the lioness-headed Sekhmet and Hera with a cow’s head.

Love, attachment and reverence for Lord Ganesh are not confined to the boundaries of the Indian soil but His glories are spread all over the world.

Greece: The Greek God of wisdom, Janus, is depicted with the head of an elephant and like Ganesh he is also invoked at the commencement of prayers and auspicious events.

Rome: In Rome, He is known as the God of learning and depicted with a quill and inkpot.

Nepal: The temple of Suryaganapati located in Nepal was established by Charumati, King Ashoka’s daughter. Suryavinayak is depicted seated on two rats and is located in Bhalgaon district near Kathmandu.

Herambh Ganesh with ten hands and five heads is also well-known along with His snake-hood form. His popular figure is also found in Mahayana Buddhism.The city of Patan is a historical centre which contains a series of temples. Lord Ganesh’s idols adorn many courtyards and small shrines around the city. The one that stand out from the rest is the standing white Ganesh, on a wooden staff in a building located in the courtyard of the Royal Palace. Similarly the ten-armed, gilt bronze of Lord Ganesh is seen with His Shakti at the Bhimsen temple.

In the Minanath temple, He is blue in color and is four-armed in a dancing stance.Bhaktapur is another city in Kathmandu where Lord Ganesh’s idols adorn in abundance on temple archways, on the gates of the Royal Palace etc. The most impressive among them are the statues with multiple heads and numerous arms at the Hanuman ghat.The Lord is depicted as an unshaped rock in Jal Vinayaka temple which is located in Chobar, six kilometers from Kathmandu.

Outside the Kathmandu city, the Vijaya Ganapati temple is located in Gorkha. In Janakpur resides Siddhi Ganesh Temple and Girija Ganesh temple is situated in Phulahara.

Sri Lanka: In Sri Lanka, Lord Ganesh is known as Pillaiyar or Gana Deviyo. In Jaffna, He is known as the guardian of the crops and so we see many of His temples near the fields. The Karunakara Pilliayar Temple is said to be constructed by Karunakara Tondaiman, the commander of Kulottunga Chola I dating back to 1070-1118 AD.

There are several shrines of the Lord widely spread in the mountaineous area of Nuwera Eliya and the areas between Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. In Chulipuram, there is Kannaikothikakkai Pillaiyar temple, Maruthady Vinayagar temple in Manipay. Nallur and Neervaly has Kailasa Pillaiyar and Arasakesari Pillaiyar temple respectively.At Embekke Devala, in a Buddhist shrine, there is a white statue of Lord Ganesh, standing. He is seen seated on a large rat in Colombo’s Kelanya temple.

Colombo also has another temple of Lord Ganesh called Shri Muthu Vinayaga temple. Kandy has temples of Lankatilaka and Selva Vinayaka. The place called Katarigama has Manikka Vinayaka temple. Apart from this, His temples are also located in Alaveddy and Batticaloa. A Stupa called Kantaka Cetinga is dated to the first or second century where one can see the trunk of Lord Ganesh carved on it and a procession of Ganas moving towards Him. The National Museum of Colombo has beautiful array of stone statues of the Lord. Two of them that stand apart are dated back to the 12^th century. One is made of stone and the other of bronze. These are found in the Polonnaruwa Museum.

Ganadevi Hella (Ganadevi represents Ganesh) is a rare book written in the ancient Sinhala text which has a collection of forty-nine verses written in praise of the Lord. The Sinhala text was prevalent during the Pirivena education before the schools were taken over by the British (1796-1948).

Cambodia: Prahaganpati and Brahganesh are popular forms of the Lord in Cambodia and the idols date back to the 13^th century. In Kandala, there is Padmasana Ganesh temple. The Champa region located in the eastern Cambodia has many Shiva temples and Lord Ganesh is mentioned in the temple inscriptions. This is during the early Angkor period, 7^th- 8^th century. He was also known as Prah Kenes in the 10^th century and was associated with Lord Shiva.

From the 8^th century onwards Lord Ganesh’s worship expanded and archeologists have been able to provide a lot more information. Inscriptions have been found dating from 611 in Angkor Borei where He was named as Mahaganapati. Similar inscription dated 656-681 during the reign of Jayavarman I mentiones Lord Ganesh. In period of King Yashovarman I (899-900), there is a mention of a Ganesh temple in its inscription. The Champa inscription (817) states that Vinayaka temple was constructed in Po-Nagar.

Myanmar: Myanmar was previously known as Burma. The Hindu traders came here and brought along with them their deities and different modes of worship. This was inculcated by natives. The Theravada Buddhism (A.D. 1044-77) which was prevalent at that time was a tolerant religion and accepted all different kinds of practices.

Pagan (Bagan) has the largest archaeological site in Asia with over nine square miles of pagodas dating from the 11^th to 13^th century. The most remarkable shrine here is the Shwesandaw Pagoda, also known as the Temple of Ganesh. Ramannadesa or Mon kingdom based in lower Myanmar too entertained Hindu traders and the worship of the Lord was introduced to them. They believed that Lord Ganesh would give them good harvest, wealth, prosperity and keep them away from evil and so they named Him Maha Peinne. His festival is celebrated with grandeur in the month of November.

Mongolia: He is known as Totkar / Dhotakar in Mongolia.

Tibet: In Tibet, He is worshipped as Sokaprak / Tchoprak.

China: It is said that Lord Ganesh and Tibetan Buddhism spread to China at the same time. His sculptures date back to the fourth century and He is known as Kwanshidiyik. There is a rock cut temple in King-Hsein in China for His worship. Lord Ganesh is mentioned in the cave temples of Bezakhlik where He has a halo behind His head and is seen with six-arms, holding the moon, the sun, a banner and a cake.

In the 6^th century painting from the northern Wei period, He is depicted with the sun, the moon along with the nine planets. Here He is two-armed holding a radish and an axe. Another painting from Khaklik depicts a lean stature of Lord Ganesh, and another one seated on a cushion. He has a halo behind His head and holds a radish, cake of sweet and a goad.A stone image dated 531 from Kung-Hsien shows Lord Ganesh seated in a lotus position with two arms, holding a lotus on His right hand and the Chintamani jewel on His left. The inscription states Him as the “Spritual King of Elephants.” In Khotan, a stone panel depicts Him four-armed wearing tiger skin over trousers. The images from this region show Him wearing a crown and holding a radish in one hand.

Japan: In Japan, His presence dates back with the age of Kukai (774- 834), the founder of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. He is known as Kangiten, Vinayakshra and the popular form is the dual Vinayaka or the Embracing Kangi where two elephant-headed human bodies, a male and a female, stand in embrace. The esoteric form of Kangiten and the three-headed Kaku-zen-cho are often depicted seated on a mountain.Kangiten is a said to be a secret deity and is not openly depicted in temples. It is known to be predominant among the tantric cults. The city of Yokohama, Gumyo-ji temple is particularly famous for the Buddha statue which has eleven heads. This is carved in the trunk of a Zelkova tree. Here Kangiten’s idol is also found.

At times, He seen dressed in long robes. A 14^th century statue Kangiten is seen at Hoikaiji temple, of the Tendai religious branch, near the Kamakura station at Kanagawa. It is believed that this idol blesses the married couples and strengthens their marital ties granting the devotees their boons. Another rare bronze statue 16.6 cm in height can be witnessed Kyoto National Museum. This idol has six arms and dates back to the 13^th century.

Indonesia: In the cellar of Penataran temple there is a statue of Lord Ganesh built in the 12^th century. There is an unfinished idol of the Lord in Ratu Boko built in the 9th century. The Sambisari Temple, at Jogyakarta, Lord Ganesh’s idol is placed on the eastern side, built in the 9^th century. He is also featured on the Indonesian currency – the 20,000 rupiah note.

Java: In Java, He is known as Kalantak and also as Boro’s Ganesh. The distinguishing feature of this idol is that His soles are attached to each other. The Lord is also known as the guardian of river crossings. The Bara temple located in the east of Java has Lord Ganesh’s statue which is about three feet in height and was built in 1239. An archeological excavation in Torongrejo village, Wukir Mt., Malang located in the east Java have found a statue of Lord Ganesh dating back to the 13^th century belonging to the Singosari Kingdom. This is currently displayed in the Bangkok National Museum.Gedongsongo Temple located in central Java has nine small temples with Lord Ganesh’s images which date back to the 8^th century. Similarly the statue of the Lord found in the Banon temple is also from the 8^th century. Currently this is found in the museum of Jakarta. The Djakarta Museum has an excellent collection of Lord Ganesh statues on display.

Sumatra: Balaputradewa museum of Sumatra has an idol of Lord Ganesh which is from the Sriwijaya Kingdom dating back to the 7^th-13^th century.

Bali: He is known as the Fire God and is seated on a throne of flames, holding a lighted brand of flame. In Pura Luhur Uluwatu, statutes of the Lord are placed at the gate which was built in the 15^th century.

Vietnam: Here there are innumerable idols of the Lord located throughout the city. It is said that His worship dates back to 400 A.D. The ancient Sayami book is said to have six photographs of Lord Ganesh and in one He is seated on a tortoise.

Borneo: Borneo is the third largest island in the world and it is located at the centre of the Malay Archipelago (This refers to the vast group of islands located between mainland Southeast Asia and Australia) and Indonesia. Lord Ganesh is known here as Mahabini and represented with matted hair like His father, Lord Shiva.

Mongolia: Lord Ganesh traveled to Mongolia with a Tibetan monk named P’ags-pa. His form as the dancer is widely popular.

Malaysia: In Selangor, there are Batu caves where in the Art gallery cave there are many paintings and statues of Hindu deities. Near this there is a Ganesh cave. Siddhivinayak temple is located in Jalan/ Brunei/ Pasar and in Kuala Kubu Baru.

In Jalan Ipoh and Jalan Padu Lama there are more temples of the Lord. In the historic Melaka area, there several temples and old buildings, where resides a Ganesh temple. Outside Kuala Lampur, Siddhivinayak temples are located in Klang, Sandakan. In Perak too Siddhivinayak resides in the temples of Behrang Ulu and Sitiawan. The Pahang Darul Makmur in Kuantan dates back to the Second World War.

Singapore: There are temples of Vinayaka and Shri Senpaga Vinayaka in Singapore.

Iran: Excavations in Luristhan, Iran have found Him carrying a sword dating back to 2000 B.C. This piece is currently displayed in the national museum of Paris. The striking feature of this idol is that He has a beard.

France: In France, the place called La Montagne is well known for its Kômyô-In temple. This is a Shingon temple which was founded in 1989. Kangiten is known as the God of joy and is worshipped along with another idol which is from Hozan-ji temple based in Japan. In Paris, Kangiten is found in the Musée Guimet.

Afghanistan: In Afghanistan, He is known as Alidharuna and His form dates back to the 6^th century. A marble statue of Lord Ganesh was dated back to 753 was found in Gardez then kept in the Dargah Pir Rattan Nath, Kabul. The idol’s body is said to be covered with a tiger skin and His head has a headgear. Another idol of the Lord was originally found in Sakar Dhar in the northern part of Kabul was later moved to Narsinghdvara, Kabul. The speciality of this statue is that He is accompanied by Ganas. It is said that it belongs to the 4^th century. But due to the recent wars we can only hope that they are still intact.

Thailand: Lord Ganesh reached Thailand in the 6^th-8^th century during the regime of Mon, a Hindu dynasty and they built several temples of the Lord. Lord Ganesh is the municipal symbol of Bangkok, capital of Thailand. Outside the Bangkok’s World Trade Centre, there is a large statue of Lord Ganesh resting under a canopy. Devotees bow and seek His blessings as they pass by. A Hindu temple in Bangkok depicts Lord Ganesh holding a manuscript in one hand and a broken tusk in the other.

Mexico: Many of His idols have been excavated in Mexico. In the temple ruins of Central America He is seen as the god with a proboscis-like horn.

Australia: Many Australian Hindus consider the Uluru rock as a natural manifestation (Swayambhu) of Lord Ganesh. Besides this His temples are located in Melbourne, Queensland, Magill and Oaklands Park, southern Australia.

Canada: There are four Vinayaka temples located in Ontario and a Mahaganapati temple in Edmonton, Alberta.

Germany: Siddhi Vinayak temple is located in Hamm, Stuttgart and Heilbronn. Vara Siddhi Vinayaka temple is in Haltingen.

Netherlands: The Leyden Museum of Ethnology has an amazing display of Ganesh’s statues.

South Africa: In South Africa, there are three temples located in Durban, Ladysmith and Mt. Edgecombe.

United Kingdom: London has a Ganesh temple on Effra Road.

United States: The Lord’s temples are found in Alaska, New York, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah and Washington.

Lord Ganesh – The World’s Most Popular Deity

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