GANESA is the Hindu god of prudence and policy, and the patron of letters. He is the reputed eldest son of Siva. and Parvati, and as Siva's eldest son is called Vigneswara ; but is said also to have been produced without a father by the intense longing of Parvati. He is represented as a short, fat, red-coloured man, with a large belly and the head of an elephant, an emblem of sag,acity. He is frequently attended by a rat, sometimes riding on one, the conduct of that animal being esteemed by the Hindus as peculiarly marked by wisdom and foresight. He has generally four hands, but sometimes six or eight, or only two. lie is invoked by Hindus of all sects, in the out set of any business. If they build a house, an image of Ganesa is previously propitiated, and set up on or near the spot. If they write a book, Gariesa is saluted at its commencement, as he is also at the top of a letter. Beginning a journey, Ganesa is implored to protect the wayfarer ; and, for his guardianship of travellers, his imago is occasionally seen on the roadside, especially where two roads cross ; but sometimes it is little else than a stone, rudely chiselled into something like an elephant's head, with oil and red ochre daubed over it, decorated, perhaps, with a chaplet of flowers by some pious neighbour or traveller. It is common to see a figure of the god of prudence in or over bankers' and other shops ; and, upon the whole, there is perhaps no deity of the Hindu pantheon so often seen and addressed. When he has four arms, in one hand he holds the aukus or hook for guiding the elephant, in another a ehank or shell, in the third a conical ball, and in the fourth a cup with small cakes, with which he is supposed to feed himself. Gauen is often represented eating the batasa, sweet cake, also is sitting on the lotus. Images of him aro made and set up with those of Durga, in the festivals of that goddess in Calcutta. In an invocation to a superior deity, a salutation is usually matle to him ; and his imago is frequently seen placed as a pro pitiation over doors of houses and shops, to ensure success to the temporal concerns of their owners. Siddhi and Buddhi (knowledge and understanding) are represented as the two wives of Ganesa. There aro not many temples dedicated to Ganesa, but his images are frequently discovered set up wIth those of the other deities. Ganesa has many namea, among which are Lambo-dara, the long bellied ; Eka - danta, one-toothed ; Gajanurnu, elephant - faced ; Gana-is-a, Gunnis, Ganapati, Pillaiyar, Vinayakar, etc. Thera are five grand
divisions of Hindus who exclusively worship a single divinity, uniting in its person all the attri butes of Brahma himself. One of these divinities is Ganesa, and tho sectaries who thus worship him aro called Ganapatya. Ganapati, more cor rectly pronounced Ganpati, is the chief of the Dii minores of the Hindu pantheon, fl8 the etymology of the word indicates, and, like Janus of the Romans, was entrusted with the gates of heaven, with tho right to preside over peace and war. Ganesa is the first invoke-d and propitiated on every undertaking, whether warlike or pacific. The warrior implores his counsel ; the banker indites the words Sri Ganesh at the commence ment of every letter ; tho architect places his image in the foundation of every edifice ; and the figure of Ganesa is either sculptured or painted at the doors of the houses as a protec tion against evil. Though oft,en represented as four-armed, and holding the disc (ehakra), the war-shell, the club, and the lotus, Ganesa is not bifrons, liko the Roman guardian of portals. In every transaction he is An,' or the first, though the Hindu does not, like the Roman, open the year with his name. One of the portes of every Hindu city is named the Ganesa l'ol, as well as soma conspicuous entrance to the palace. Thus Udaipur has its Ganesa dwara, who also gives a name to the hall, the Ganesa deori; and his shrine is to bo found on the ascent of every sacred mount, as at Abu, where it is placed close to a fountain on the abrupt faeo of the hill, about 1200 feet from the ba.se. There is likewise a hill sacred to him in lIewar, called Ganesa Gir, tantamount to the Mons janiculum of ancient Rome. The com panion of this divinity, the rat, indirectly receives a portion of homage, and with full as much right as the bird emblematic of Minen-a.
The name Ganesa, from Gana and Isa, as also Ganapati, mean lord of tho Gana. Ile has other naines,—Dwi-deha, double-bodied; Eka-danta or Eka-danshtra, single-tusked ; Gajanana, Gaja vadana, and Kari-Mukha, elephant-faced ; Her atnba, boastful ; Lamba - karna, long - eared ; Lambo - dara, pendent - bellied ; Vighnesa or Vighna-hari, remover of obstacles.
Gariesa-janani, the mother of Ganesa; from Janna, birth. —Moor; Tod's Rajasthan, i. pp. 590-91 ; Dowson.