Lord Ganesh: The Lord of New Beginnings

Lord Ganesh is one of the most loved Gods in Hinduism. In most of the households, a new task begins with the worship of Lord Ganesh. His name has become synonymous with beginnings and people often say ‘Shree Ganesh Karen’ in Hindi which means ‘Let’s Start’. He is also called the ‘Vighnaharta’ or the remover of all obstacles. People believe that praying to him before starting a new task will remove all the barriers that might prevent the successful completion of the task.

There is a very interesting story behind how Lord Ganesh came to be revered as the Lord of New Beginnings in the Shiva Purana. One day Lord Ganesh and his brother Lord Karthikeya were having an argument on who is wiser amongst the two. The argument went on for a long time without any result. Lord Narad decided to end the predicament by organizing a competition between the two.

According to the competition, the first one to circle the earth three times would be the winner and would be declared the wiser one. As soon as Naradmuni finished speaking Karthikeya mounted his Vaahan (vehicle in English) the Mayur or Peacock and flew away to complete the task. Now Lord Ganesh’s Vaahan is the Mouse and he knew that the mouse would not be able to beat the Peacock. He closed his eyes, folded his hands and circled around his parents three times, and declared himself as the winner.

When Lord Narad questioned him, he smiled and calmly told him that for every child his parents are his world and since he fulfilled the condition of the competition first he should be considered as the winner. Shivji was extremely happy with his son’s wisdom and gave him the boon that he would be worshipped before the start of any ceremony or pooja. That is how he became the Lord of New Beginnings.

In Hinduism, it is considered auspicious to keep Ganesha idol in homes as well as offices. It is believed that he attracts good luck and tranquility. Ganesh idols and wall hangings are very popular gift items. These statues and wall hangings are crafted out of different materials such as marble, gunmetal, paper mache, brass, glass etc. These days Lord Ganesh can be seen in a variety of poses in the wall hangings and idols.

With living spaces getting smaller wall hangings are becoming more popular

Popular Poses of Lord Ganesh

Lord Ganesh Playing a Musical Instrument:

In several wall hangings, Lord Ganesh can be seen playing different instruments such as Dholak, Daphlee, Harmonium, Tabla and sometimes even Harp. Gun Metal or cast iron is a popular metal that is used to craft these wall hangings. The idols are easy to clean, maintain and reasonably priced.

Lord Ganesh in Writing Pose:

Another popular pose of Lord Ganesh is where he is shown sitting and writing the Mahabharat. He is wearing glasses and has a look of deep concentration on his face. This wall hanging is a great gift for your loved ones too.

The Face of Lord Ganesh

Another popular pose of Lord Ganesh is simply his face carved in metal or paper mache. These wall hangings are beautifully crafted and come in different sizes.

Bringing Lord Ganesh to your home is considered auspicious and a Ganesha statue or wall hanging will definitely bring positivity and attract peace and good luck to your home or office.