Its the end of the Ganesh festival, the celebration of the elephant God. Revered across Asia, Ganesh or the remover of obstacles, comes at the right time, when Asia needs him the most.
The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is a day on which Lord Ganesha, the son of Shiva and Parvati, is believed to bestow his presence on earth for all his devotees. The festival, celebrated mostly in India, typically lasts for 10 days, in which devotees keep and pray to a clay idol of the Ganpati. On the last day, devotees chant ‘Ganpati bappa Moriya’ and dance while immersing the clay idol in water, making him one with nature.Worshiped in India, Nepal, Tibet, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Bali and Japan where currently chaos rules, Ganesh appears in different avataars across south east Asia. Spread by Indian traders who took the remover of obstacles on their varied voyages, Ganesh appears on temple motifs, currency notes and art.
In India, Ganesh, Ganpati, Vinayaka or Pillaiyar as he is referred to across India is also the patron of arts and sciences, and the God of intellect and wisdom. While several stories surround how he got his elephant head, he is revered by people of all religions in India. It is said, that there is hardly a house in India, where the idol of Ganpati doesn’t reside.
In Thailand, Ganesha is worshipped as “PhraPikanet” or “Phra Phikhanesawora” and is worshiped as the deity of good fortune and the remover of obstacles. He is associated with the arts, education and trade. Ganesha appears on the emblem for the Ministry of Fine Arts in Thailand and the large television channels and production companies have Shrines in his honor in front of their premises. He is honored with Motaka, sweets and fruit, when business is good, and he is made ridiculous by putting his picture or statue upside down, when business is down. As lord of business and diplomacy, he sits on a high pedestal outside Bangkok’s World Trade Center (Now Central World Plaza), where people offer flowers, incense and a reverential sawasdee.
In Japan, Ganesha is considered a minor deity in the Buddhist pantheon, where he is known as Shōten, Daishokangi-ten, Kangiten, Ganabachi or Binayaka-ten (“Vinayaka”). Ganesha worship was brought to Japan by early Buddhists through China. In Japan the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806 CE. Scholars commonly date the presence of Ganesha in Japan with the age of Kukai (774- 834), the founder of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.
Also called the Deva of bliss, in Japan, Ganapati is invoked both for enlightenment and for worldly gains – more for the latter than the former. Kangiten – Vinayaka is offered “bliss – buns” (made from curds, honey and parched flour), radishes, wine, and fresh fruits. The offerings are later partaken in the same spirit as Hindus take prasad. It is also believed that in Japan the Hindu Ganesha is displayed more than Buddha in a famous temple in Futako Tamagawa, Tokyo.
In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is very popular; he has five heads and rides a lion. Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him. A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In one Tibetan form, he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla, a popular Tibetan deity. Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles, sometimes dancing.
In Bali and Indonesia, Ganesh is revered as the ‘Indonesian God of Wisdom’. Bandung boasts a Jalan Ganesha, and his image adorns 20,000 rupiah notes.
In Cambodia and China, Ganesh is seen featured on some temples. In northern China, the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531. He is also worshiped by the Hindu classes of the Chams of Vietnam.
