Indian Deity: Ganesha (Ganesh)

☰

MENU

Ganapati Main Page (Buddhist)

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Hindu Subjects
- Shiva Outline Page
- Hindu Gods Index/Glossary
- Masterworks
- Confusions
- Others...

Videos:
- Ganapati Introduction
- Is the Hindu Ganapati & the Buddhist Ganapati the Same?
- Elephant Imagery in Art
- Ganesh: Studies of an Asian God (Book Review)
- Cult of Vinayaka (Book Review)

Iconography:
- One Face, Two Hands
- One Face, Four Hands
- One Face, Six Hands
- Three Faces, Six Hands
- Five Faces, Ten Hands
- Multiple Faces, Multiple Arms
- Others...

Ganesh of India primarily originates from the Shaiva religion as a son of the goddess Parvati. Some of the images below are possibly wrongly catalogued as Buddhist rather than Shaiva. The Ganapati of Tantric Buddhism is regarded as a wisdom 'realized' deity, manifesting as an emanation from one of the Buddha Families, and in many cases an emanation of Avalokiteshvara.

Jeff Watt [updated 3-2018]

---

Bibliography:

Ganesh, Studies of an Asian God. Robert L. Brown, Editor. SUNY, 1991. (Video: Book Review).

Cult of Vinayaka. Shanti Lal Nagar. Intellectual Publishing House, New Delhi, 1992. (Video: book review)

- Elements of Hindu Iconography. T.A. Gopinatha Rao. Motilal Barnarsidass, 1985 (reprint of the 1914 Madras edition).

- The Gods of India, Hindu Polytheism. Alain Danielou. Inner Traditions International Ltd., 1964. (book review)