Facts about Ganesha

Name:

Ganesha, Ganesh, Ganapati, Pilliyar and hundreds more.

Family:

Son of the Goddess Parvati. Adopted son of the God Shiva. Brother of Skanda (aka Kartikay, Murugan)

Physical description:

Ganesha has the head of an elephant and the body of a man. He has a large belly and four arms.

Vahana (Vehicle):

A mouse or rat.

Symbols:

The symbol Aum, an elephant goad, a modaka sweet, the Hindu svastika, a broken coconut and many more.

Holy Day:

Ganesha Chaturthi: The birthday of Lord Ganesha, a ten-day festival in August or September.

Religious sect:

The devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas', (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य).

Mantra:

ॐ गणेशाय नमः (Om Ganeshaya Namah)

Major religious texts:

Ganesha Purana, Mudgala Purana, Ganapati Atharvashirsa, Ganesha Sahasranama and Sritattvanidhi.

Amazing Fact 1:

There is a Ganesh statue made of 514-karat diamond in Pune and a five foot tall silver statue of Ganesha in Mumbai.
One statue of Ganesha is adorned with over 60 kgs of gold and 175 kgs of silver. The tallest Ganesha idol, built in 2009, is 58 feet high.

Amazing Fact 2:

In Sept. 21 1995, The so called "Milk Miracle" occurs when statues of Ganesha began to ‘drink’ offerings of
milk in front of millions of devotes throughout India and around the world.