Pillaiyar is the name of Ganesha in Tamil. ‘Pille’ means child and Pillaiyar means ‘noble child’ though some scholars believe the original meaning to be ‘young of an elephant’. Hiuen Tsang (7th cent CE) in his travels mentions the elephant deity called ‘Pillushara’.

It seems that Pillaiyar is derived from Pilushara for when words were borrowed into Tamil, the Sanskrit ‘sa or sha’ was sometimes changed into ‘ya’. The ancient name of Ganesha thus survives in south India where many of the Hindu traditions still continue in an unadulterated form.

The image shows a Ganesha from Gardez, near Kabul. This is attributed to the Turk Shahi kings of Afghanistan, 6th or 8th Century CE.

Source: MK Dhavalikar, “Origin of Ganesa’, BORI.

Picture Credit: ISKapoor, Wikimedia Images

Popularly called Astavinayak temples, the group of eight Ganapati temples are around the Pune and Konkan region. The temples are in Morgaon, Mahad, Pali, Lenyadri, Ranjangaon, Siddhatek, Theur and Ozar. Astavinayak is a popular pilgrimage that many pilgrims cover in two or three days.

The deities are monolith and are also Swayambhu, self formed and not man made.

It is a commonly held belief that if a pilgrim visits any one of the 8 temples, they must visit the others as well to receive the full benefit of the pilgrimage.

Source: Glory of Ganesha. Chinmaya Mission.

Temples and Legends of Maharashtra. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

There are many names of ganesh that describe his elephant features. Gajavakra (elephant trunk), Gajakarna (elephant ears), Gajanan, Hastimukha & Gajananeti (elephant face), Gajavaktra (elephant mouth), Shoorpakarna & Lamabakarna (large ears), Lambodra (big belly). The image shows an elephant deity on the coin of Hermaeus, and Indo Greek ruler (1st-2nd cent CE). Notice the prominent curved trunk.

Source: Glory of Ganesha, Chinmaya Mission

Picture Credit: MK Dhavalikar, “Origin of Ganesa”, BORI

Shiva’s companions or ‘ganas’ are short hardy spirits, a sort of Yakshas, mainly malevolent. It is symbolic that Shiva is the God of all, including the different and the wretched. After giving back Ganesha His life by installing an elephant head, Shiva makes Ganesha the leader of His ganas, as per the Puranas.

Ganapati is also mentioned in the Rig Veda, but refers to Brihaspati and Indra.

Gana also mean people – Republic of India is Bharat Gana-rajya. Thus Gana- pati, Gana-esha etc. came to mean Lord of the people or Raja. Ganpati pandals in Mumbai invariably call Him Raja of the locality where the pandal is made e.g. Andheri cha Raja.

The Wikimedia image is of a relief at Ellora depicting the marriage of Shiva & Parvati. The ganas are in the background.

Source: Ganesha, the Auspicious, the Beginning. Shakuntahla Jagannathan and Nanditha Krishna

Picture Credit: Britannica.com

Kapisa is a province of Afghanistan centred around the modern city of Bagram. There is a 2nd cent BCE Indo Greek coin with an elephant deity described as “kapise nagara devata.” Kapisa can mean either ‘endowed with elephants’ or ‘monkey coloured’ (brown). Many cities of that area have elephant based names – Kapisa (Bagram), Pushkaravati (Peshawar), Hastinapur, Varanavat etc. Some names of Ganapati describe his brown colour – Kapil (yellowish brown) and Haridra (golden brown).

Greek historians describe how Alexander worshipped an elephant at Taxila. They say that the north west of India was populated by a tribe of elephant worshippers called Hastikas. Alexander issued a coin with an elephant shaped crown on his head, a practice later adopted by many Indo Greek rulers. Historians conjecture that after defeating the Hastikas, the Greeks adopted their deity to pacify them.

Source: MK Dhavalikar, “Origin of Ganesa’, BORI.

Picture Credit: New York Public Library Digital Collection

Ganesha worship is very popular in Japan and spread through Buddhism. Sōshin Kangiten is the most enigmatic and elusive Japanese version of Gaṇeśa. Ganesha represents Dual God of Boundless Bliss. The Japanese Dual Kangiten is an elephant-headed deity couple in embrace. It represents the unity of contrasting genders and opposites. Avalokiteśvara (a Bodhisatva) is believed to have seduced and calmed down Vinayaka resulting in the harmonious union.

Source: Lode Rosseels, Gaṇeśa’s Underbelly, Universiteit Gent

Picture Credit: Ganesha; The Auspicious, The Beginning by Shakunthala Jagannathan and Nandhita Krishna

The name Ganapati is mentioned in Rig Veda. However it does not refer to Ganesha. It is mentioned as an attribute of Brihaspati, the lord of wisdom who heads a group of mantras. Indra and Rudra are also referred as Ganapati in Vedic literature.

It is conjectured that it simply means a leader. Other old names include Ganesha (as Ganeshwara, Ganesha is not found in early Sanskrit literature) and Vinayaka, both of whom are present in Sutra literature and Mahabharata. Both have slightly malevolent characteristics in early references.

Scholars thus think that Ganesha & Vinayaka were Yaksha Gods and the early sculptures from Mathura from the 2nd-3rd cent CE, indicate that.

The image shows the gigantic Ganapati of Unakoti, considered timeless.

Source: AK Narain, “Ganesha: The Idea & The Icon”

Picture Credit: S. R. Ramanujam

Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas which adorns all devout North Indian homes. He also wrote Ganpati Vandana which describes Ganesha as Modakpriya – lover of modak.

“Gaiye Ganapati jagvandan sankar suwan bhawani ke nandan,
Siddhi sadan gajbadan vinayak kripasindhu sundar sab laayak ,
Modak priya mud mangal data vidya varidhi buddhi vidhata ,
Maangat tulsidas kar jore basahu ram siya manas more”.

A North Indian saint celebrating a quintessential Maharashtrian delicacy 500 years ago!

The Picture is of a single Modak weighing 72kgs offered to the Vinayaka in Madurai Meenakshi temple

Picture Credit: Indian Express

The Vinayakas are arranged eight each (representing the directions) in seven concentric circles around the Vishwanath temple. The Kasi Khanda of Skanda Purana provides a description of the 56 Vinayakas.

Kashi was ruled by King Divodasa. After Shiva married Parvati, he wished to settle in Kashi and sent Vinayaka to get Divodasa to vacate the city. Vinayaka, by a trick, caused Divodasa to invite a curse by which the city was emptied. Thereafter Shiva and Parvati could settle down in Kashi. Vinayaka established himself in 56 forms in the city to protect it.

Although the reference to 56 Vinayakas is well established in Brahmanda Purana, the physical location of the 56 Vinayakas is uncertain.

Source and Picture Credit: Isabelle Bermijn. An Investigation Into The Fifty-Six Vinayakas In Banaras And Their Origins

Picture Credit:

Vatapi refers to Badami, in the Bijapur (now Viyayapura) district of Karnataka. Tradition holds that in the 7th Century CE, the Pallava kings brought back the deity from Vatapi as a booty, after their victory over Chalukyas. Pallavas and Chalukyas had been bitter rivals. The deity was brought to the home town of Paranjyoti, the Pallava general who later on became a Saivite Saint.

The song is in Sanskrit. It was composed in the 18th/19th century CE by Muttuswami Dikshitar, one of the trinities of Carnatic Music. The song is very popular and is rendered as the opening song in most Carnatic music concerts.

The song reflects the universality of Ganesha. It straddles several centuries of history; is composed in Sanskrit in the heart of Tamil culture; and links the history of northern Karnataka with Tamil Nadu.

Source: Catlin, Amy. “Vātāpi Gaṇapatim”: Sculptural, Poetic, and Musical Texts in the a Hymn to Gaṇeśa”.

Picture Credit: Dinamalar