G Gan ˙ eśa (Gan ˙ apati) Ruchi Agarwal Social Science Division, Mahidol University International College, Nakorn Pathom, Thailand Synonyms Ganapati; Ganesa; Vighneshwara; Vinayaka Ganesa in the Hindu Pantheon Ganesh is one of the principal Hindu deities. He possesses the head of an elephant with a broken tusk and the body of a potbellied human being. He is depicted both seated and standing with four arms and normally holds one or several of the following items in his hands: svadanta (his own tusk), kapittha (a wood-apple), modaka (a sweet also known as laddu), ankusha (an elephant goad), pasha (a noose), naga (a snake), parashu (an axe), a rosary, a lotus, or mulaka (a radish). He is often depicted in the company of a musika (mouse) and has a snake wrapped around his waist [1]. He is the Lord of ganas (personal attendants of Siva), the master, the leader, the protector, and the companion among others to the ganas. He is the creator of obstacles and therefore called Vinayaka [2]. He is revered with several names like Gajanana (elephant faced), Lambodara (potbellied), Ekadanta (one-tusked), Vinayaka (leader of obstacles), Vighnesvara (lord of obstacles), Vighnakarta (creator of obstacles), and Vighnaharta (remover of obstacles) [3]. In the Puranas, Ganesh is linked with Siva, his wife Parvati and his son Skanda. He was created by goddess Parvati and is popular not only in India but also across a large part of Asia. Although there are different accounts of his birth, the most popu- lar legend is that Ganesh was created by Parvati from the impurities of her body and was appointed by Parvati as her gatekeeper. While Parvati was taking a bath, Siva was stopped by Ganesh from entering her apartment. This led to a battle where Siva eventually beheaded Ganesh with his trident and later replaced it with the head of an elephant upon protest by Parvati. He is believed to have two wives, Riddhi and Siddhi, and two sons, Subh and Labh. However he is represented and worshipped as a single god but at times during festivals like deepavali, along with Laksmi (the goddess of wealth). Ganesh mythology has flourished since the seventh century A.D. through Puranic texts. Numerous stories make Ganesh one of the more popular deities of the entire Hindu pantheon in India [4]. Initially a minor god, Ganesh was added to the hierarchy of major divinities in late Gupta period in the sixth century A.D. He gained impor- tance in a relatively short period with his cult coming into being in the ninth century A.D. The cult of Ganesh worships him as a God who can help individuals to overcome impediments and # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2018 P. Jain et al. (eds.), Hinduism and Tribal Religions, Encyclopedia of Indian Religions, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_343-1