The Book of Ganesha

Contents: Introduction. 1. Origins. 2. The myths multiply. 3. Iconography and worship.

"Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, is easily the most recognizable and loveable of Hindu deities. But pinpointing his various attributes is not quite so simple. He is at once the portly, merry, childlike God and the sage, complex philosopher. He is the presiding deity of material wealth and the lord of spirituality. He removes all impediments for his devotees but creates all manner of difficulties for the transgressors, men or Gods. And associated with every aspect of Ganesha - be it his extraordinary birth, his elephant head, his broken tusk, his vehicle (the mouse), his appetite or his anger - are scores of myths, each more colourful than the other.

In this thoroughly researched and delightfully narrated book, Royina Grewal gives us the many stories of Ganesha, exploring their significance and how they reflect the times and the cultures in which they originated." (jacket)