Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश; IAST: Gaṇeśa;
listen (help·info)),
also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh,
also known as Ganapati (Sanskrit: गणपति; IAST: gaṇapati),
Vinayaka (Sanskrit: विनायक; IAST: Vināyaka), and
Pillaiyar (Tamil: பிள்ளையார்), is one of the deities best-known and
most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon.[5]
His image is found throughout India and Nepal.[6]
Hindu
sects worship him regardless of
affiliations.[7]
Devotion to Ganesha is widely
diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond
India.[8]
In northern India, Skanda is
generally said to be the elder, while in the south, Ganesha is
considered the first born.[106]
Skanda was an important martial deity from about 500 BCE to about
600 CE, when worship of him declined significantly in northern
India. As Skanda fell, Ganesha rose. Several stories tell of
sibling rivalry between the brothers[107]
and may reflect sectarian tensions.[108]
Ganesha's marital status, the subject of considerable scholarly
review, varies widely in mythological stories.[109]
One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried
brahmacari.[110]
This view is common in southern India and parts of northern
India.[111]
Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi
(intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi
(prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as
goddesses, said to be Ganesha's wives.[112]
He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant
(Sanskrit: daşi).[113
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