Lord Ganesh

Lord Ganesh

Kangra School, 18th Century AD, National Museum, New Delhi



           A very unusual painting of Lord Ganesh. Generally He is shown as fair skinned person, but here He is shown in vermillion color. He rarely carries a rosary in his hand, yet here He does. He is hardly ever portrayed with a lotus, but He is carrying a lotus here. Although He does wear a serpant as a belt on his stomach, here the serpant is around his neck.

           His vermilion color points towards the strength of wisdom; the rosary to meditation; the axe to the ability of learning and wisdom to cut through every difficulty / obstacles;  lotus to beauty and reward; the snake to the ability to rejuvenate and life. He sits on a white lotus--pointing towards the ability to detach oneself from the material world. The image is as much of a God, as it is of a wise Man or a sage.