Who Lord Ganesh is
Ganesh — known also as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Vighnaharta, and by dozens of regional names — is the elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati and one of the most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. He is invoked first, before any other god, at the start of every ritual, every journey, every new venture, and at the opening of most devotional texts. His role is that of vighnaharta — remover of obstacles — and buddhi-pradata — bestower of intellect and discernment.
The story of how Ganesh acquired his elephant head is told in several Puranas, with the most familiar version drawn from the Shiva Purana: Parvati creates a child from the turmeric paste of her bath and sets him to guard her chamber. Shiva, returning home and refused entry by this unfamiliar boy, beheads him in anger. When Parvati’s grief becomes apparent, Shiva instructs his attendants to bring the head of the first creature they encounter — an elephant — and Ganesh is restored. The story is read both narratively and allegorically: a meditation on ego, on the meeting of consciousness and form, on rebirth.
Festivals and worship days
The most important festival is Ganesh Chaturthi, observed on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhadrapada (August–September). In Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa, the festival is community-wide: clay images of Ganesh are installed in homes and public pandals, worshipped for one and a half, three, five, seven, or eleven days, and finally immersed in water in a procession called visarjan. The festival took its modern public form in late 19th-century Pune through the efforts of Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
Sankashti Chaturthi — the fourth day of the dark fortnight each lunar month — is observed by devotees as a fasting day for Ganesh. Tuesday and Wednesday are the conventional weekly days for his worship, though many traditions begin every day with a Ganesh invocation.
What devotees seek
Ganesh is invoked at the start of weddings, business openings, school examinations, journeys, and puja ceremonies of every kind. He is asked for the removal of obstacles — material, emotional, intellectual — and for the wisdom to recognise which obstacles are worth removing and which are placed in our path for our own learning.
The texts collected on this page — chalisa, aarti, and others — gather the most widely recited compositions for daily and festival worship of Ganesh.