Why does the Hindu god Ganesha have an elephant head?

Lord Shiva, then placed the head on Ganesha’s body and gave him life and his blessings. Hence, Ganesha has a human body and an elephant head. According to some other legends, Ganesha’s elephant head is symbolic of his big brain or vast knowledge and wisdom.

Is Ganesh is the Hindu god with the head of an elephant?

Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise and is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors. Like a rat and like an elephant, Ganesha is a remover of obstacles.

What does Ganesha’s elephant head represent?

The large elephant head of Lord Ganesha symbolizes wisdom, understanding, and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life. The right tusk represents wisdom and the left tusk represents emotion.

What happened to Lord Ganesha’s original head?

The head of Ganesha Ji was cut off by Lord Shiva and it was totally destroyed in the fire of Trishul of Lord Shiva. It was not possible as per boon to the elephant that original head should be rejoined with body of God Ganesha.

Why is Ganesh Visarjan done?

There is an interesting story behind the legend of Ganesh visarjan. It is believed that Lord Ganesha returns to Mount Kailash to join his parents Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati on the last day of the festival. The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi also denotes the significance of the cycle of birth, life and death.

Why Ganesha wrote Mahabharata?

The story goes that Vyasa wanted to dictate an epic poem, the Mahabharata. He needed someone to write it down as it flowed from his mind. Nobody capable was found to exist on Earth, so he approached Ganesha or Vighna Vinayaka, the remover of obstacles, and requested him to help out.

Why Ganesha is called Vighnaharta?

This would result in severe losses and was a hindrance to prosperity. By having a rat as his vehicle, Ganesh is symbolically shown to have conquered this pest which is an obstacle to prosperity and success. Hence, in Hinduism, he is also known as Vighnaharta – conqueror of obstacles.

Why did Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head?

Ganesha ignores all the requests made by Brahma, Vishnu and other ganas to unblock the entrance. This ignorance is removed by Shiva when he chops off the head. Ganesha clearly cannot just be a guardian of Prakriti, he has to do darshan of Purusha as well. Thus, whereas Parvati creates Ganesha, Shiva completes him.

Why is Vishnu’s skin blue?

The legends tell us that Lord Krishna had drunk poisoned milk given by a demon when he was a baby and that had caused the bluish tinge in his skin.

What are Ganesh idols made up of?

The idols are usually made of clay or papier-mâché, since Plaster of Paris idols have been banned by the state government, but violations of this rule are often reported Idols are also made of coconuts and other organic products.

What is the meaning of Ganpati Bappa Morya?

“Ganpathi Bappa Morya” – Hail father Ganesha. “Pudchaya Varshi Laukar ya” – Come again next year faster. You might had heard these chants on every Ganesh chadurthi to chathurdashi.

Why Lord Ganesha has broken teeth?

The half-tusk As legend goes, when Ganesha was writing the Mahabharata, the feather he was writing with broke. So, to stick to the condition of writing continuously, Ganesha broke his tusk and wrote with it.