Ganesha and His Wives

Northern India, about the second half of the 11th century A.D.
Sandstone
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

The Hindu god of good fortune, Ganesha, is credited with the elephant's good nature and great strength.   The remover of obstacles, Ganesha is the god to invoke when embarking upon any important endeavor.  This welcoming image, carved with rounded, sensuous forms and lively energy characteristic of Indian sculpture, would probably have been placed in a niche on the exterior of a temple.   Worshippers would thus encounter Ganesha in the course of their ritual “circumambulation” or walk around the temple.

 

Ganesh

Sri Ganesha is the first son of Sri Shiva and Sri Parvathi. Hindus pray to Ganesha before starting any new task. Among all the wonderful Hindu Deities, Ganesha is the closest to the material plane of consciousness, most easily contacted, and most able to assist us in our day-to-day life and concerns. In His hands, He wields a noose and a goad, With the noose He can hold you close, or hold obstacles close. He can capture and confine both blessings and obstacles. With the goad He can strike and repel obstacles. He is called remover of obstacles.