Why is the Hindu god an elephant?

Why is the Hindu god an elephant?

To console his grieving wife, Shiva gave Ganesh the head of an elephant. According to Hindu scholars, each part of the deity has a symbolic function. Ganesh’s head itself symbolizes the ability to acquire wisdom and knowledge, while his big ears bestow the patience to listen carefully.

What religion has an elephant god?

Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise and is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors.

Why is Ganesha head an elephant?

Lord Shiva, then placed the head on Ganesha’s body and gave him life and his blessings. Hence, Ganesha has a human body and an elephant head. According to some other legends, Ganesha’s elephant head is symbolic of his big brain or vast knowledge and wisdom.

What is the elephant god called?

Ganesha
Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles and the offspring of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction and his consort the goddess Parvathi. Several myths detail his birth and acquisition of the elephant head.

Is Vishnu a Hindu god?

Vishnu, (Sanskrit: “The Pervader”) one of the principal Hindu deities. Vishnu combines many lesser divine figures and local heroes, chiefly through his avatars, particularly Rama and Krishna. His appearances are innumerable; he is often said to have 10 avatars—but not always the same 10.

What is the story of Ganesha the elephant god?

Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati and he is the brother of Karthikeya (or Subrahmanya), the god of war. He was created by his mother using earth which she moulded into the shape of a boy. As Shiva was away on his meditative wanderings, Parvati set her new son as guard while she bathed.

Is the tusk of Ganesh real?

The Tusk of Ganesh is a golden, bejeweled treasure in the shape of an elephant’s tusk. It has two rubies embedded on the front, a blue jeweled inlay, silver filigree, and is overall studded with blue gemstones. Within Hinduism, the Cintamani is related to gods Vishnu and Ganesha.

Is Ganesh an avatar of Vishnu?

The avatars of Vishnu are important in Vaishnavism theology. While avatars of other deities such as Ganesha and Shiva are also mentioned in medieval Hindu texts, this is minor and occasional. The incarnation doctrine is one of the important differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism.

Do elephants worship moon?

Siegel has studied the precursors of religious faith in African elephants and concludes that “elephants are aware of natural cycles, as they practice “moon worship,” waving branches at the waxing moon and engaging in ritual bathing when the moon is full.” Observations by Pliny the Elder also note supposed elephant …

Why is Shiva Ganesha beheaded?

So, when Ganesha denied Lord Shiva entry into his abode–because Goddess Parvati was bathing inside–Shiva decapitated Ganesha’s head in anger. According to legend, an elephant was the first animal that Lord Brahma later found when he went out to look for one (to replace Ganesha’s head).