lord ganesha

Lord Ganesha is a Hindu God and is a son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Known as 'Vighnaharta' or remover of obstacles, the elephant-headed Hindu God is worshipped at the beginning of any puja or on shubh or auspicious occasions. Lord Ganesha's vahana or vehicle is the ordinary rat or mooshak and the favourite food of Ganesha who has a sweet tooth is modak. Legend has it that Parvati made Ganesha by kneading the dirt that came out of her body while taking bath to guard her privacy and prevent anybody from coming inside her private space. When Ganesha did not allow Lord Shiva to meet Parvati, the latter cut the former's head off. Later when Shiva came to know that Ganesha was their son, he fixed his mistake by attaching an elephant's head to little Ganesha. Ganesh Chaturthi is a 10-day festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha and during this time his devotees welcome Bappa at home for this period amid much fanfare.