ganapati

Ganesh is the Hindu God of knowledge and the remover of obstacles or God of elimination of troubles. He is also called Ganapati (leader of people), Buddhividhata ( god of knowledge ), or Vighnahara (god to remove obstacles). In fact Lord Ganesh has at least 108 names. He is one the most important Gods in the Hindu religion so that all sacrifices and religious ceremonies, all serious compositions in writing, and all worldly affairs of importance are begun with an invocation to Lord Ganesh.

Elephant Head Legend

There are a number of stories about how Ganesh came to acquire an elephant head. Here is the most popular:
Parvati was rather disappointed that none of the guards she appointed out of Lord Shiva's army failed to stop him from barging into her private chambers. She decided to have someone who would be entirely her own and place no one above her. Hence, she created Lord Ganesh from dough that she used for her bath and breathed life into him. Having created the figure, Parvati told him to ensure that nobody, but nobody entered her rooms while she bathed.
Lord Shiva soon came in and was stopped by Lord Ganesh. This enraged Lord Shiva and he beheaded the boy. This enraged Parvati to such an extent that she asked Goddess Durga & Goddess Kali to destroy everything and everyone. To appease her, Lord Shiva beheaded an elephant and attached the head to Lord Ganesh's slain torso. Lord Brahma brought the boy back to life and they took him to Parvati.
Parvati still had a few conditions to be fulfilled by the Gods for her son before she agreed to cease the havoc created by the Shaktis. She asked that he should be invincible, the giver of victory and God of wisdom. The person who worships him should gain success and property. She also wanted that nobody should be permitted to heaven before pleasing him and it should be compulsory to first invoke him before any other deity. These were all granted to Lord Ganesh, by the triumvirate of Gods, Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva appointed Lord Ganesh as the leader of his gana (public) and called him Ganapati, literally meaning, leader of people. Ganapati represents all the qualities that a leader should have. A leader should listen to everybody, therefore the large ears. He should have nose to scent out the smallest problem, which a large trunk does with sensitivity. A large forehead is an indicator of a brilliant mind. It is important for the leader not to let out all that he knows or all that he has been told, that is why Lord Ganapati has large stomach.

elephants in hinduism

Hinduism, the largest religion of India, has an abundance of gods and goddesses throughout the country. The most widely worshiped Hindu god deity is Lord Ganesha: The Elephant God. He is one of five prime Hindu deities. Ganesh, as he is commonly called, is an elephant-headed god who has an extensive legend. He represents "perfect wisdom" and is highly loved and worshiped by his devotees. Ganesh is considered to be the "remover of obstacles" and a "bestower of prosperity (Gentz 382)." Ganesha is also called Ganapati. "Ga means ‘knowledge’, na means ‘salvation’, and pati ‘lord’ (Ganesha 1)". His image can be found at the entryway of temples and in places of business. Followers of Ganesh always pray to him before beginning any new venture in life to remove any obstacles that would block their way. Ganesha is also "the patron of literature--he combines the natures of the two most intelligent beings--man and the elephant (Alexander 77)." A variety of sculptures, drawings and carving represent this deity
As a religious symbol, the elephant is purely Asian. It represents royalty, power, wisdom, fertility, longevity and more (Encyclopedia of Religion 82). Ancient belief systems of Asia tend to twist and bend upon one another within the many varieties of Hinduism and Buddhism. In both, man and the elephant make their first appearance in the cosmos together and in both elephants are associated with water and rainfall, the primordial givers of life to dust (Alexander 73). Their shape, size, and color are symbolic of clouds and rain. This connection paved the ground for the development of a cult around the elephant who was worshipped as a folk god (Gupta 11). In most art forms, the elephant is the object of worship or it appears with a god who is worshipped. In countries such as Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, elephants were believed responsible for watering the fields. Lord Indra, The Rain and Storm God, is sometimes depicted riding on an elephant with a lightning bolt on his forehead. The main use of the elephant in eastern religious art is in the representation of Ganesha, the great Hindu God (Carrington 223). As a Hindu religious symbol, the elephant is highly favored.

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In modern day India, festivals honoring the elephant-god are celebrated yearly.
As with most religious and cultural traditions, some myths, legends and tales are more popular than others. For the Hindu, a special relationship has been formed with the elephant. Perhaps the deity of the elephant began with a prayer being answered, or maybe it came in a dream. The practice of worshipping the elephant has made it a religious symbol that continues to be shared by most Hindus today.