Lord Ganesh also known as Lord Vinayaka, Vighneshwara, and Gana
Pati, is the Agra Ganya (One who is reckoned with first) among
gods because He is the remover of obstacles. People pray to Him
before starting any project to make it a success by removing all
obstacles. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. His birthday
is on the fourth day of the Shukla fortnight of the moon (Shukla
Chaviti) in the month of Shravana. The day is called Vinayaka
Chaturthi and celebrated all over the world with much joy and
many prayers.
He has an elephant's head which symbolizes wisdom. The trunk is
either curved to the right or to the left. Some times it is
depicted straight. When the trunk is curved, He is called
Vakratunda. He has a large belly, and holds a sweet ball in his
hand. His vehicle is the mouse, which symbolizes greed.
There are several forms of Vinayaka - Siddhi Vinayaka etc. He
destroys evil spirits when called on as Gam Gana Pataye Namaha.
He sets wicked people straight when called upon as Vakratundaya
Namaha.
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