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Ganesh Elephant Head. Hindu religion presents many stories, which explain how Ganesha obtained his elephant or gaja head. Often, the origin of this particular attribute is to be found in the same anecdotes which tell about his birth. The stories also reveal the origins of the enormous popularity of his cult.
Though it is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, it is more famous for its Ganesha (Ganapati) icons. [1] The main Ganesha shrine depicts him with a human head, instead of the elephant head he is usually depicted with. [1] Vatapi Ganapati, the other Ganesha icon, was installed in a smaller shrine at a later date.
Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant. [57] Details of the battle and where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. [58] Another story says that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter. Because Shiva considered Ganesha too alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding ...
In a tale about Ganesha's birth, the elephant-headed demoness Malini gives birth to Ganesha after drinking the bath-water of Parvati, Ganesha's mother. In Skanda Purana, Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, is cursed to have an elephant head, which she gets rid of by pleasing the god Brahma by penance.
According to legend, this is the temple where Ganesha was placed as door keeper by Parvati, not allowing anyone to enter the premises without her permission. This is the place where Shiva cut the head of Ganesha and gave him elephant head. Mam Mal means don't go, and thus it is also known as Mammal temple. [1]
Ganesha is easily recognized from his elephant head. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists and beyond India. India and Hinduism have influenced many countries in other parts South Asia , East Asia and Southeast Asia as a result of commercial and cultural contacts.
When Parvati learnt of what had transpired, she threatened to disrupt the peace of the three worlds if her son were not restored to life. Shiva sent a number of divinities to procure the head of the first being they came across in the northern region, which happened to be an elephant. With the head of the elephant, Shiva revived Ganesha. [2] [3]
Thirty-two forms of Ganesha are mentioned frequently in devotional literature related to the Hindu god Ganesha. [1] [2] [3] The Ganesha-centric scripture Mudgala Purana is the first to list them. [4] Detailed descriptions are included in the Shivanidhi portion of the 19th-century Kannada Sritattvanidhi.