The trunk of Lord Ganesha is symbolic of a lot many things and the side it is curved to, is symbolic of what the idol of Lord Ganesha signifies and the way it is to be worshipped. The trunk of Lord Ganesha signifies flexibility and the ability to adapt and change with time.
Lord Ganesha uses his trunk to destroy obstacles, in our progress. His trunk symbolises change. Also, it is twisted, symbolising the sound of AUM, the universal sound. The idol of Lord Ganesha should always be a sitting idol as it means that Lord Ganesha has arrived to stay.
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The Left Trunk
The trunk curving to the left is called a Vamamukhi (Facing the Northern direction). The left side of Lord Ganesha is believed to be aligned with and possess the qualities of the Moon, which makes that side peaceful and blissful. Also, that side signifies the material gains and prosperity and thus, householders always prefer the left-trunk idol as it is believed to bring them prosperity. Left trunk Ganeshas are also believed to purify a home and help in healing the Vaastu Dosha that might be present. Also, if you see a picture of Lord Ganesha with Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, it is seen that Parvati sits to the left. So, the left-sided trunk pays an obeisance to Goddess Parvati and invokes her blessings in the home. It brings about family bonding and happiness.
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The Straight Trunk
This is the rarest of the lot and hardly ever found. But it also has the deepest significance. It means that the Sushuma Nadi is now open and that there is complete oneness between all the body senses and the divinity is complete. You are completely unburdened and are completely transparent. These type of Ganeshas make for great gifts although they are extremely rare to find.
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The Right Trunk
The right trunk is not very common and almost rare. The right trunk Ganesha idols are worshipped fervently and religiously. The right side trunk is called Siddhi Vinayaka. Siddhi, one of the wives of Ganpati resides to his right and hence, the idol with a trunk curved to the right is called Siddhi Vinayaka. The right sided trunk stands for freedom from all worldly pleasures and the attainment of Moksha. The right sided idol also signifies the Pingala Nadi or the energy of the Sun. Just like the Sun can create as well as destroy, this Ganpati can bring you happiness if worshipped the correct way. The Valampuri Ganesha must be cared for according to vedic customs and rituals. It is not for house-keepers as people with families have duties and cannot let go of pleasures. Thus, the right-sided idols are found only in temples. The Ganesha idol at our famous Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai is an idol with its trunk curved to the right.
Brahman Ganesh :
Ganesha is worshipped as the Supreme Being (Para Brahman) in this sect. Being the chief deity in this form of Hinduism, he is known by the epithet Parameshwara (Supreme God), which is normally reserved for Shiva.
Every year, people wait with great anticipation to celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. And like always, we also hope that this year too, the Remover of Obstacles will shower us with his blessings and wipe out all the struggles from our life.
DagduSeth Ganesh :
The story dates back to more than 125 years when Shri Dagdusheth Halwai and his wife Lakshmibai lived in Pune. As fate would have it, they lost their only son to the plague epidemic. It was then that they met a compassionate sage who asked them to build a Ganesha Temple in Pune not only for the welfare of his own family but also the world. Years later, when Lokmanya Tilak started the practice of organising annual Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations in Maharashtra Dagdusheth Ganpati gained fame as the most adored deity in Pune.
Garuda Ganesh :
A lesser known story from the Brahma Vaivarta Purana narrates version of Ganesha's birth. On the insistence of Shiva, Parvati fasted for years (punyaka vrata) to propitiate Vishnu so that he would grant her a son. Vishnu, after the completion of the sacrifice, announced that he would incarnate himself as her son in every kalpa (eon). Accordingly, Ganesha was born to Parvati as a charming infant. This event was celebrated with great enthusiasm and all the gods were invited to take a look at the baby. However Shani (Saturn), the son of Surya, hesitated to look at the baby since Shani was cursed with the gaze of destruction. Shani came to a decision and looked at the goddess Parvati's baby from the edge of his left eye. However Parvati insisted that he look at the baby, which Shani did, and immediately the infant's head fell off. Seeing Shiva and Parvati grief-stricken, Vishnu mounted on Garuda, his divine eagle, and rushed to the banks of the Pushpa-Bhadra river, from where he brought back the head of a young elephant. The head of the elephant was joined with the headless body of Parvati's son, thus reviving him. The infant was named Ganesha and all the Gods blessed Ganesha and wished Him power and prosperity
Kasba Ganesh :
Pune has an impressive history. The beautiful landscape was adorned with temples, built at various points in time. However, by 1621, many temples were destroyed in the battles that ensued in the mountainous terrain.Under such circumstances it is indeed miraculous that the idol of Lord Ganesh was retrieved at Kasba Peth years later. In the year 1630 A.D. The Royal Queen Jijabai Bhosale arrived in Pune with her son Shivaji. Around this time, an idol of Lord Ganesh was found near the house of Vinayak Thakar, close to the residence of Jijabai. Jijabai perceived this as an auspicious moment and promptly decided to build a temple, which is popularly known as the Kasba Ganpati Mandir.
Maysuri (Titwala) Ganesh :
Titwala is believed to be the putative site of the hermitage of sage Kanva, foster parent of Shakuntala who was born here. The Siddhivinayaka Mahaganapati temple built by Shakuntala with the stated legendary background was submerged under a tank. During the rule of the Peshwa Madhavrao I, to resolve the drought situation in the town, the tank was de-silted to provide drinking water to the town. It was during the de-silting operations that the temple was found buried. The image of god Ganesha was found by Peshwa sardar Ramchandra Mehendale buried in the silt. Soon thereafter, the renovation of the temple was undertaken and a stone temple was built. Peshwa Madhavrao I consecrated the ancient Ganesha image in this new temple, after the conquest of Vasai fort.
Veling Ganesh :
The well-known sculptor Dinanath Velinge, who first started sculpting massive Ganesh idols, and his artwork brought fame to the mandal he was associated with . In 1977 Dinanth Veling made first ever 24 feet Ganesh Idol in history.
When the festival started 93 years ago, his Mandal had already become reputed for its extra-big idols, particularly after the trend of gigantic idols started in 1977 with idols going through the roof with 18, 20, 22 feet and some even taller, as devotees gaped in awe.
Only once, in 1989, it came down to around 15 feet since our revered artist, Dinanath Veling was unwell, but insisted on making the idol. Following medical advice not to overstrain himself, he made the 15-feet tall a murti''a It proved to be his last creation as Veling died the same year.
Dinanath Veling was the sculptor who had made Ganesh Galli famous with his imaginative imagery; thus this posture Ganesh gains the name Veling Ganesha
Jaswand Ganesh :
(Hibiscus) This is a favourite of all flowers of Lord Ganesha and is called Japakusuma in Sanskrit. It is offered for over-all prosperity and destruction of enemies. The nature of Hibiscus flower is raja-sattva. Thus, the petals emit divine energy (Shakti) and divine consciousness (Chaitanya).
Bappa’s other favourite flowers are
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* Kunda, Downy Jasmine : They are called nithya mullai and grow all throughout the year. It is offered for family unity.
* Gokarna or Clitoria Ternatea (Blue) Gokarna : is offered for blessings of early marriage.
* Marigold In India it also called that Genda , Zendu or Chendumalli. : It is a flowers offered for good health.
* Shevanti, Chrysanthemum (Yellow) : These tiny yellow flowers are offered to remove evil eyes, bad effects of adverse forces.
* Parijata or Pavizhamalli : It is also known as coral Jasmine and is a flower which blooms only in the night. It sheds its petals in the day. It has a unique smell and is very delicate. It is offered so that the children do well in their life.
Undir Ganesha :
Ganesha as riding on the back of a rat. The rat usually stands for greed. The mind of a wise person must always control his senses. A human being's desire or greed must never control him. This is the message Ganesha gives by sitting on a rat. Lord Ganesha is incomplete without his small, cute vehicle (Vahan) a mouse (Mushak) on which he rides everywhere. But why lord Ganesha choose Smaller Animal for his vehicle? And Lord Ganesha is incomplete without his small, cute vehicle (Vahan) a mouse on which he rides everywhere. Lord Ganesha was able to reach all the nooks and crannies of the world--and do his duty as the destroyer of obstacles--because his vehicle was a mouse--because mice/rats can slither through tiny holes and narrow pathways.
Chaurang Ganesh : The sitting Ganesha is one of the most common idols. It represents Ganesha in ‘Lalitasana’, where he enjoys a relaxed and a calm state of mind. It is said that in this position, while he is meditating, he keeps an eye on your family, keeping them away from harm. The small stool that Bappa sits on is called Chaurang in the local language.
Vighnaraj : The most popular incarnation of Lord Ganesha, The avatar of Vighnaraj is known as the Remover of all Obstacles. Vighnaraj battles with Mamatasura and overcame him. Mamatasura was created born out of laughter of Goodess Parvati Devi. Initially she named him Ma-Ma which mean “mine” and asked him to worship Lord Ganesh. However a chance meeting with Sambara Asura took things for worst. Sambara Asura managed to allure Ma-Ma into the Asur cult and initiated him into the demonic methods of worship.
Dhumravana : The last incarnation to defeat demon Ahamkarasur, the demon of self-infatuation. It is said that the deity Sun is responsible to have created this demon. One day the Sun sneezed and out of it was born a demon. He went down to the world of Asuras and Sukracharya gave him the name Aham on account of his birth from the ego of the Sun. Then Ganesha appeared in form of Dhumravarna and destroyed the demon of Ego or Ahamkara.
