Ganesha is my favorite Hindu god. If you are following @dcdharma on twitter (and you should be) you’ll see that my avatar is a hot pink Ganesha. I keep a large Ganesha statue on my desk at work and a smaller one on my yoga altar at home. I also have Ganesha pillows, T-shirts and postcards. I guess you could say that I’m a crazy Ganesha Fangrrrl. I am not alone, Ganesha is one of the most popular Hindu gods–he can be found virtually everywhere in India.
I am drawn to the buoyancy of his image as well as the characteristics he represents–cleverness, playfulness and wisdom. My favorite description of Ganesha is as the Hindu god of mischief. He is described as a celebration of fun and good living, now that is a god I can pray to daily.
Ganesha is probably most popularly know as the remover of obstacles and the Lord of new beginnings. Prayers to Ganesha are invoked before undertaking new projects. In fact, Indian wedding invitations routinely include an image of Ganesha.
The elephant god is also known as the patron of arts and sciences, the deva of intellect and wisdom and the lord of letters and learning.
Know any good stories or facts about Ganesha? If so, please share them in the comments.
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[...] are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi or the Hindu god Ganesha’s Birthday. I posted earlier about Ganesha, my favorite Hindu god–the God of mischief new beginnings, prosperity and [...]