Ganesha
Ganesha
3D
Published 2019-02-21T17:00:47+00:00
One of the most popular of all Hindu deities, Ganesha is the elephant-headed god. He is the destroyer of obstacles and regarded as auspicious. Hindus invoke his help at the beginning of any enterprise, from weddings to the opening of a new business. They invoke the god to smooth the way, remove distractions, and protect them from evil. He also is the giver of earthly prosperity and well-being. In this classic tenth-century Javanese depiction, from the island of Java, Ganesha sits erect on a double lotus base. Pot bellied and with his chubby feet held tightly together, he eats sweetmeats from a bowl in his lower left hand. His headdress, made of braided locks, bears a protective crescent moon and skull. His lower right hand grasps a broken tusk, while his upper right hand holds a rosary topped with a pomegranate, a symbol of abundance. In his upper left hand, he displays a battle-axe used to counter evil. Ganesha images often decorated the principal niche in the western wall of a Shiva temple.
| Date published | 21/02/2019 |
| Title | Ganesha |
| Date | 10th-11th century |
| Dimension | 88.27 x 52.07 x 40.48 cm |
| Accession | 2003.198 |
| Medium | Volcanic stone (andesite) |
| Credit | Purchased through Art Quest 2003 and The William Hood Dunwoody Fund |
| Record | https://collections.artsmia.org/art/81675/ganesha-indonesia |
| Place | Minneapolis Institute of Art |
