India: Statue of seated Ganesh or Ganesha, Mysore, Karnataka, 13th century

Ganesha (Sanskrit: Gaṇeśa, also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati (Sanskrit: gaṇapati), Vinayaka (Sanskrit: Vināyaka), and in Tamil as Pillaiyar, is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped deities of the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India to Southeast Asia.

Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him particularly easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.

Ganesha emerged a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

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Quadell (DD)

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