Indian Carved Giltwood Ganesha Sculpture Statuette. Holding his axe and traditional ball as well as an infinity symbol and restraining a snake-like creature, he is crouched down with a small weasel-like animal next to him on the stand below. A four pointed floral symbol is on the underside. 

Size: 4 x 3 x 6 in. 

#1104 . 

Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, and additionally known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Lambodara and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshiped deities in the Hindu pantheon, being the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions are found throughout India and all affiliations worship him in some capacity, including Jains and Buddhists. Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is most readily identified by his elephant head and four arms. He is seen as the remover of obstacles and bringer of good luck, the patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honored at the start of most rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked during writing sessions as a patron of letters and learning, and as such his inclusion in the beginning of nearly every Hindu text from the 1st Century BC through the 5th Century AD, particularly those relating anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits, have made him an indelible aspect of Vedic culture and an internationally recognized symbol of the Vedic faiths. Hindu texts identify him as the son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is even more important in other stories, even being described in the Brahmanda Purana as Lambodara (literally translated as “Pot Belly”) because he holds all the cosmic eggs (universes of the past, present, and future) inside his stomach. He has been portrayed in many mediums in the arts for centuries, being its patron, with sculptures often showing him sitting on a throne and playing with a ball or fighting off demons heroically alongside his father, Shiva.