Antique Indonesian Ganesha Sculpture

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Antique Javanese style bronze seated Ganesha from Indonesia.

Ganesha is seated on a double lotus flower circular base. The lotus … Read more Antique Javanese style bronze seated Ganesha from Indonesia.

Ganesha is seated on a double lotus flower circular base. The lotus flower represents purity, compassion and the giving of great joy to all.

Ganesha is the elephant headed son of Shiva. She wears a richly bejewelled dhotis and upavitas. In his hands he holds sweetmeats, an axe and broken tusk.

The breaking of the tusk has several backstories. One instance suggests that it was shattered when Shiva cut the head off the elephant, prior to bestowing it onto Ganesha. Another writes that Ganesha's quill broke and he needed a writing instrument.



The direction of Ganesha's trunk has symbolic meaning. Here the trunk turns to Ganesha's left. This signifies the direction for success in the world.

In his early forms in India, Ganesha was associated with fertility. Later he became widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences and the deity of intellect and wisdom. See less