Namaste! Today, we embark on a journey to explore the rich and complex history of Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, a deity deeply revered in India and various parts of the world. While Ganesha is a prominent figure in modern Hindu traditions, his origins and evolution are often shrouded in mystery. This article delves into the historical perspectives, examining the evolution of Ganesha from ancient symbols to the widely recognized deity of wisdom and prosperity. Understanding the history of Ganesh is not only important for understanding the evolution of a god that is on every invitation card for every auspicious event but also to promote scientific temperament.
Disclaimer: This article explores the historical and cultural context surrounding Ganesha. Some terms used within the article have specific meanings in this context:
- Brahmin/Brahminical: Refers to the Brahminical ideology which emphasizes on social hierarchy and rituals rooted in the Vedas.
- Shaiva: Relating to or associated with the Hindu god Shiva.
- Vaishnava: Relating to or associated with the Hindu god Vishnu.
- Shudra: Refers to the lowest social class in the traditional Vedic hierarchy. The term is used to understand the discrimination and exclusion faced by certain groups.
- Mleccha: A Sanskrit term for foreigners or those considered outside the Vedic social structure.
- Deva/Devata: Terms for deities or gods.
Table of Contents
- Ganesha Today: A Ubiquitous Deity
- Unveiling the Ancient Origins
- The Importance of Scientific Temperament
- Puranic Stories of Ganesha
- Ganesha’s Presence in Foreign Lands
- Expert Views on Ganesha’s History
- Vedic Literature and Ganesha
- The importance of archeological evidence
- Nag Symbolism
- Conclusion: A Call to Critical Thinking
Ganesha Today: A Ubiquitous Deity
Ganesha, also known as Ganapati, is one of the most recognizable and widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image, with an elephant head and human body, is a common sight in India and in Hindu communities around the world.
Ganesha in Weddings and Auspicious Events
It is a common practice to include an image of Ganesha on wedding invitations, name-giving ceremonies for children, and other auspicious functions. This tradition underscores Ganesha’s role as the remover of obstacles and the bestower of good fortune.
The Rise in Popularity
While Ganesha’s roots are ancient, his widespread popularity, particularly in India, has surged in the last 150-200 years. This relatively recent increase in prominence begs the question: what factors contributed to this accelerated fame?
Unveiling the Ancient Origins
To understand the history of Ganesh, it’s crucial to examine his origins, which predate the well-known stories found in the Puranas (ancient Hindu religious texts containing myths and legends).
The Brahminical Narrative
When asked about Ganesha’s origins, many Hindus cite stories from the Puranas, identifying him as the son of Shiva and Parvati. These narratives often portray him as “Vighnaharta,” the remover of obstacles. However, these Puranic accounts are relatively recent and contradict or have little support in primary sources.
According to the Brahminical tradition, their deities, temples, or idols are not mentioned in the religious texts. All the mentions about gods and deities are mentioned in the Puranas. Those who reject the Puranas will have to reject the temple systems and idols of India.
Evidence Beyond Brahminical Influence
Interestingly, Ganesha’s presence is found in Buddhist countries, where the influence of Brahminical traditions might be expected to be minimal. This raises the question: if Ganesha’s origins are solely within the Brahminical tradition, how did he come to be present in these other cultures? Therefore, an exploration of Ganesha’s history beyond the Brahminical context is warranted.
The Importance of Scientific Temperament
Before diving deeper, it is essential to establish the importance of encouraging a scientific temper when exploring historical topics. When it comes to deities like Ganesha, it’s necessary to approach the subject with a questioning and analytical mind, seeking evidence-based explanations rather than blindly accepting traditional narratives.
Scientific temper urges people to find answers to questions with logic and reasoning.
Puranic Stories of Ganesha
The Puranas are a primary source of stories about Ganesha, but it’s important to recognize that these texts were composed relatively late in Indian history and often serve to justify existing practices and beliefs. The stories are not consistent with each other. These stories provide mythical explanations for the presence of idols with animal faces on them.
The Shiva Purana
The Shiva Purana contains various chapters and stories related to Ganesha.
One chapter called, Rudra Sanhita Chaturth Khanda, narrates the story of Ganesha’s birth where the text implies that Ganesha was born out of Shiva’s semen.
According to another legend in the same Purana, Brahma narrates that Ganesha’s head was severed due to the gaze of Shani (Saturn), and an elephant’s head was attached to him.
Contradictory Birth Stories
These stories are not only inconsistent with each other, but also imply that the Puranas were written at different times. One Purana might present one story, and then other Puranas are produced by the same Brahmins refuting the previous Purana to justify the new set of believes. With such varying accounts, can we truly say we know the definitive origin of Ganesh?
In another version, Parvati creates Ganesha from the dirt of her body while bathing to guard the entrance of her home. Shiva, unaware of this, arrives and is stopped by Ganesha. Enraged, Shiva severs Ganesha’s head, later replacing it with that of an elephant.
Parvati created a son from the dirt of her body to guard her from other men while bathing.
This story reflects the status of women at the time when Puranas were being written. During the Mughal times, women were merely seen as objects, so the story goes that Parvati felt unsafe and insecure in her own home from other men.
During the time these stories were being written, women were treated as objects, any men would barge in anytime, so Parvati and her friends would hide from other men and needed a bodyguard to prevent other men from entering.
Ganesha’s Presence in Foreign Lands
Ganesha’s presence extends beyond India, with images and representations found in countries like Tibet, China, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. This widespread presence suggests that the commonly portrayed history is overly simplistic and that Ganesha’s influence went beyond the geographical boundaries of India. The question to be asked here is, why are these idol or deities only to be found in India and nearby countries?
Expert Views on Ganesha’s History
Several scholars and researchers have dedicated their work to understanding the origins and evolution of Ganesha. Some notable figures include Alice Getty, Arya Bhandarkar, Ta Gopinath Rao, Kumaraswamy, Dhaulikar, A.K. Narain, Robert Brown, and Y. Krishnan. Their research provides valuable insights into Ganesha’s complex history.
The research done by Alice Getty
According to a research paper by Alice Getty, “Ganesh: A Monograph on the Elephant-Faced God”, the origin of Ganesha is connected to harvest festivals. In ancient times, harvest festivals were dedicated to various deities, and Ganesha fits well within this context. His association with elephants, often seen as destructive forces to agriculture, and his broken tusk, which may symbolize a plough, further support this connection.
Ganesh’s origins can be traced back to harvest festivals. In ancient times, harvest festivals were dedicated to various deities, and Ganesha fits well within this context.
Alice Getty also suggests that, for centuries, knowledge of Ganapati was limited to the uneducated. This suggests that Ganesha may have originated as a folk deity, perhaps a “Kuldevata” (family deity) of Dravidian tribes. Dravidian refers to a language family and associated cultures primarily found in South India.
It seems that for centuries, only uneducated people knew about Ganapati and it is possible that he is the family deity of dravidian tribes.
Early Statues of Ganesha
The early statues of Ganesha had two arms, without any broken tusks.
It is argued that the objects in the hands of the early statues of Ganesha were radish because radish is offered to Vinayaka. It is an offering for the settlements and it grows under the ground as onions and garlic do.
Radish is suitable for settlements because, like Vinayaka offering sweets, radish, onion and garlic grow under the ground and is restricted by Brahmins.
However, the Shiva Purana only talks about one tusk. If we consider the radish argument, the statues are two armed and not one tusked which negates the claims made in the Shiva Purana.
The statues were also often associated with Nagas (snakes) and the kings of the jungle.
The statues are often associated with the kings of the jungle.
This implies that Brahmins later sanskritized the idol and presented it as Ganesh for their own agenda.
Vedic Literature and Ganesha
Manu Smriti (ancient Hindu legal text) says Shiva should be worshiped by Brahmins and Ganesh by Shudras.
It is a big problem because if we see the Manu Smriti we can’t find the mentions. Although in some suktas it is written that those who worship ganas (attendants or followers of Shiva) are restricted but directly it is not available.
It is said that in his rules, Manu said that Shiva should be worshipped by Brahmins and Ganesha by Shudras.
The importance of archeological evidence
When studying ancient statues, it’s important to consider several factors like its location, time period, style, dynasty, and the inscriptions on them. While researchers consider these factors, it is rarely seen that they are considering them all together.
The belief of the Dynasty and the king is an important factor in this, to what sect they belong to and the prevailing philosophy.
It is important to understand the science and technology that had been used in the statues and the current fashion as well.
And the most important thing is the interpretation of the artist. They need to focus on the artist and what he wants to convey with the idols and statues. The objective of the artist should be considered.
The Oldest statue that is to be found is an Elephant headed statue during the Indo Greek Dynasty, during the rule of Harmonious, before the Kushan Dynasty.
The coins of the Indo Greek kings were written in the Greek language on one side and the local language on the other side of the coin. The local language was prakrit and the script was Kharosthi.
This era was when a lot of Greeks were accepting Buddhism in India and were contributing heavily to it. The coins had Greek deities on one side and bodhisattvas on the other. Ashoka also used the Greek language on his coins to encourage trade.
After this one another sculpture is found near Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. There is a hospital complex found near the site as well, oldest one in the world. The inscription mentions that in the hospital, animals were given treatment which means Ashoka also opened hospitals for animals along with humans.
The statue has four elephants on each side and has Buddhist symbolism to it. Ganesh in Early Buddhist Art of Sri Lanka and Explanation of Elephant Figures, goes by this.
Deaanand or Devanampiya Tissa accepted Buddhism after Ashok’s son Mahendra went to him and also he made caves for Buddhist monks to live there.
The statue or stupa was built between the 3rd and 1st century BCE and is made out of stone. The archeological finding that was made is a naked statue.
The sculpture had entities surrounding it and offering items.
It is said that the sculpture is of a gana and not Ganesha due to the lack of evidence to support that name.
Now the time period is 1st century BCE and the idol is found near a Buddhist site that provides treatments for animals. So it may be possible that scientists did experiment on a body and attached an elephant’s face to it or the opposite. And the Brahmins are trying to claim that Plastic surgery was invented in ancient India, which might not be the case.
When we look at the sculpture we can see that the sizes of the body parts are disproportionate as well.
Nag Symbolism
We mostly see yajnopaveetam (the holy thread) with Ganesh, but that is not true. The oldest image of Ganesha that were found do not have yajnopaveetam.
Manu Smriti itself says that the holy thread should be made of cotton for the Brahmins, for Kshatriyas it should be san and for Vaishyas it should be sheeps wool. But the images that are found don’t match the Manu Smriti so we cannot be sure about these. They have snakes on them.
These were the sculptures that the people used to connect to.
We can see the images of Surya who is the sun god or Vishnu who is one of the prominent god and they are not wearing the yajnopaveetam.
Then we also have the vakunta Murti Vishnu that is standing and does not wear the yajnopaveetam. The Vishnu with a chakra is what these people worship and he does not wears yajnopaveetam. These means it is also a Bodhisattva statue.
The clothing of the statue is from the Kushan period.
Many statues also had Malas in them. Roshen alka has written about costumes of Ancient India with its history. And it shows how the Mala was worn from left to right.
In the archeological library of India, it was mentioned about a garland won on left shoulder and under the right arm, like a yajnopaveetam. But the twist in the tail is that it is won during meditation.
So, the Garland and yajnopaveetam is different. This was won during mediation.
The statues of the Ganesh have snakes on them because Snakes are associated with kundalini and it is used during mediation so that the energy flows through out the body. This technique is used in Buddism to get rid of vashanas.
These facts were hidden from history because this culture directly gives that your body parts can be used during meditation.
Conclusion:
The history of Ganesha is far more intricate than the traditional stories suggest. By examining archaeological evidence, scholarly research, and the presence of Ganesha in diverse cultures, a more nuanced understanding emerges. Ganesha is not a Vedic deity. Elephant was embraced by Buddhism before the Brahmin Hindu dharam did.
As we continue to explore the past, it is crucial to approach historical narratives with a critical and questioning mind. It is said that the truth will always surface eventually. By embracing a spirit of inquiry, we can move beyond inherited beliefs and uncover a more accurate and complete picture of our shared history.
Read the True history of Ayodhya
Books used in the research which you can buy yourself from the link given below and confirm yousrself:
- Ganesa: A Monograph on the Elephant Faced God
- Ganesh – Studies Of An Asian God
- Manusmriti: DharmaShastra (Hindu Code) Vedic Texts and The Ancient Indian Legal Document in Hindi
- Shri Shiv Mahapuran Geeta Press [Paperback] 2223/2224
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