The year was 2018… The then Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was on a visit to a Muslim country. The name is Azerbaijan, the capital is Baku. During that time, one of her photographs was in the news. In the photograph, Sushma Swaraj was standing with folded hands and a flame was blazing in front of her. The photograph was in the news because Azerbaijan is an Islamic country and Sushma Swaraj was standing at a place in the capital Baku, where the ground below was testifying that it was a Hindu religious place. The proof of the Hindu religious place was that Sanskrit verses were written on a stone inscription nearby. In which ‘Shri Ganeshaya Namah’ and ‘Om Agneya Namah’ were also written. The presence of a temple in a Muslim country like Azerbaijan and the writing of ‘Shri Ganeshaya Namah’ in the temple was a matter of discussion and there was also discussion because Shri Ganesh, who is considered the son of Mahadev Shiva in the Sanatan tradition, is worshipped as the god of wisdom and knowledge and is called Vighnaharta, is not the god of any fixed limited place.
Ome Sri Ganesha in the temple of Baku
The picture of the temple in Baku shows that Shri Ganesh is not only revered in the peninsular geographical area between the Himalayas in the south and the sea in the north, but he is such a subject of faith beyond the man-made boundaries of the map and the globe that every civilization and culture considers him their idol in some form or the other and places him on the same level which they have for God in their minds. In Sanatan, the meaning of the word Ganesh is also used as the god of Ganas, the lord of Ganas and the leader. In such a situation, Shri Ganesh easily becomes the god-president of any tribe, sub-caste, class or community. This quality also makes his name Ganesh meaningful.
Worship of elephant-headed deity in tribal tribes
If we look at the religious history of India’s worship system, we find a long series of such gods who have been worshipped as folk gods and place gods. Gods of primitive tribes living in forests have similar symbols. Tribal tribes have believed in worshipping nature, so symbols related to nature are also seen in the symbols of their gods. These symbols were called totems, and many idols and gods are modified forms of these totems. Many tribal tribes of India have been worshipping the elephant-headed god symbol, which is linked to Shri Ganesha on the basis of scriptures.
Elephant is revered in many cultures
Apart from worshipping their deity ‘Marang Buru’, the Santhal community of Amarkantak also worships elephants. Their belief behind elephant worship is that elephants are very strong and huge, so they should remain calm and move around in their settlements with love. Similarly, an elephant statue is installed in the courtyard of Bhagwati Amman Temple in Coimbatore. On every festival day, farmers worship this statue and pray for the safety of their crops. In North India too, elephant is a highly respected wild animal and in many temples built in rural areas, elephant is carved near the main entrance. This is not just a carving done for decoration, but the intention behind making the elephant on the gate is such that this huge creature of nature protects their border. Elephant is also revered among the boatmen and bamboo working communities and on special occasions, they carve the symbol of the deity with elephant head from clay and worship it.
All these examples are not of the traditional festival Ganesh Chaturthi or of the public Ganesh Puja, although over time these worship practices came into the urban civilization and merged with Ganesh Puja, and the worship with the elephant symbol is somehow connected to Ganesh Puja, which is a widely celebrated festival today.
Recognition of Shri Ganesh in Sanatan
In the Sanatan tradition, Shri Ganesh is the son of Shiva-Parvati, whom they have adopted as their child, but this tradition also describes God as unborn. This indicates that the existence of beliefs about Shri Ganesh is older than the popular story of his appearance. That is why in mythology, the huge form of every deity has been imagined. Like the huge form of Vishnu is of Mahavishnu Narayan, the huge form of Durgaji is of Ashtabhuja Devi. The huge form of Shiva is of Panchanan Sadashiv, in the same way the huge form of Shri Ganesh is called Vinayak Mahaganesh. These huge forms are an indication that the gods or divinities are always present in nature in the form of an energy. The forms of them that we worship are just one of their forms, which is not comprehensive. This visible form of the gods is different in the imagination of every poet. Sometimes he is in the form of a child, sometimes a destroyer, sometimes a protector, sometimes a guide and apart from this, companions and associates are also one of his forms. Therefore, Shri Ganesha is also imagined as the son of Parvati, Bal Ganesha, Modak lover, giver of wisdom and destroyer of obstacles.
The methods of worshipping his form are found not only in India but also in different civilizations of the world. You cannot directly call him Ganapati or Ganesh, but the beliefs prevalent about him definitely match the Indian beliefs prevalent for Ganeshji.
Phra Phikanet: Ganesha of Thailand
Thailand is a Buddhist majority country and Theravada is the main religion there, despite this, a deity with the face of an elephant is very popular in Thailand, which is known as ‘Phra Phikanet’. It has thick hands and legs, a big belly and a structure resembling the head of an elephant in place of the face, in which two sieve-like ears and a long trunk are prominent. A crown with five corners is also seen on the head of the deity, each corner of which is a symbol of five elements. In Buddhism too, like Sanatan, the five elements (earth, water, air, fire, sky) have great importance. Phra Phikanet is the local form of Lord Ganesha in Thailand. Thai people consider the deity a symbol of art, knowledge, and prosperity and also believe that this deity will remove every obstacle in their skills. Phra Phikanet is also recognized for progress in business and people consider it as a lucky charm.
Kangiten worship is special in Japan
A part of Buddhism prevalent in Japan is also Buddhist Tantra. A major deity in this Tantra is Kangiten. Kangiten deity has a big head and a long nose that reaches down to the neck. He has many hands. His depiction shows a combination of many Buddhist and Hindu symbols. One of his hands is seen in Varada Mudra, and it is believed that Kangiten makes them rich with this hand. Just like Indian beliefs, where Shri Ganesha is worshipped as the god who gives Riddhi-Siddhi.
Ganesh Puja is also done in Cambodia
Cambodia is a country that has adopted many Hindu traditions. Apart from Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, worship of Shri Ganesha is also seen on a large scale here. Here he is known by the name Ganapati and many big Ganesha temples have been built in this country. The old traditions of Hinduism in Cambodia are especially the heritage of the time of the Angkor Empire. Here too Shri Ganesha is the first worshipped deity and his worship method is associated with Indian mantra-chanting, aarti and havan. Worship of Ganesha is also a part of Cambodia’s religious and cultural identity.
Lord Pillayar resides in Sri Lanka
Lord Pillayar is worshipped on a large scale in India’s neighboring country Sri Lanka. Lord Pillayar is a local name for Shri Ganesha in Sri Lanka. This name is derived from the Tamil language. It is derived from the original word Pillai Iyer. Pillai means child in Tamil and Pillai Iyer means the great child who is the lord of all. Like India, Lord Pillayar is worshipped in Sri Lanka on festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi. Apart from this, idols and temples of Lord Pillayar are seen in many temples, especially in Tamil-dominated areas. Sri Lanka has major Ganesha temples in Colombo, Jaffna, and Mana. Lord Pillayar is worshipped as the destroyer of obstacles and the god of prosperity.
Ganesh Puja is also recognized in Indonesia
Signs of worship of Ganesha are also found in Indonesia. There are many temples in Bali where Ganesha is worshipped. Among these, Uluwatu Temple and Sangag Temple are famous. Apart from this, Java’s famous Prambanan Temple is also known for its Ganapati idol, where Hindu cultural influence is seen. In the year 1998, Indonesia also issued a currency, which had a picture of Ganesha. This currency was issued to promote education, as it is believed that Shri Ganesha is the god of knowledge. However, this currency is not in circulation since the year 2008.
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