INTRODUCTION

There are some interesting stories that give us a glimpse of Ganapati in Hindu mythology. Once His mother Parvati asked Ganapati to guard the entrance to her apartments and admit no one while she took a bath. As it happens, Shiva, Ganapati’s father, showed up and proceeded to enter the house and the son would not allow even Shiva to come in as he was following orders from His mother. No amount of persuasion or threats helped and a furious Shiva cut Ganapati’s head off.

A grief-stricken Parvati demands that Shiva find a way to restore the life of the young man who was after all obeying a mother’s orders. This led Shiva to instruct His staff to find anyone, human or animal, sleeping with the head in the southern direction, and to bring that head. As it happened an elephant was found and its head was duly severed and brought to Shiva. 

Shiva in turn positioned the elephant’s head on to the body of Ganapati and lo and behold the boy came alive and became the handsome elephant-headed God. A pleased Shiva appointed Ganapati head of the army and thus the name Ganaadhipati came about.

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