Ganesh Statues

Ganesh Statues are a fairly common sight all around the world. The Elephant God, as he is known in the western countries has fascinated people across the globe with his obvious elephant face, large tummy and tiny mouse. This Hindu god is invoked at the beginning of all traditional rituals and is worshipped in thirty two different forms recognized in the Agamic scriptures.

The 32 names of Ganesh are Baala Ganesh, Dharuna Ganesh, Bhakti Ganesh, Veera Ganesh, Shakti Ganesh, Dwija Ganesh, Siddhi Ganesh, Ucchishta Ganesh, Vigna Ganesh, Kshipra Ganesh, Heramba Ganesh, Lakshmi Ganesh, Makara Ganesh, Vijaya Ganesh, Nritta Ganesh, Urdhva Ganesh, Vara Ganesh, Ekakshara Ganesh, Dhryakshara Ganesh, Kshipraprasaada Ganesh, Haridra Ganesh, Ekadhanta Ganesh, Srishti Ganesh, Utthanda Ganapati, Ranamochana Ganesh, Dundi Ganapati, Dwimukha Ganesh, Trimukha Ganesh, Simha Ganapati, Yoga Ganapati, Durga Ganesh, and Sankatahara Ganapati.

Lord Ganesh also has quite a few names that he is called by such as Ganapati, Ganesha, Ekadantaa, Chaturbhuj, Amit, Kapila, Krti, and so on. His hundred and eight names are symbolic of his various characteristics, blessings, legends attached to his godliness and praises by his worshippers.

Ganesh is known as the eldest son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. There is a fascinating story about this in the Ganesh Khanda of the Brahma Vivarta Puraan. The story goes something like this. Lord Shiva and Goddess Paravti were gifted the magical Wisdom Fruit which held the nectar of immortality and supreme knowledge and they wanted to bestow it on one of their sons which were Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeya (Subramanya). Unable to decide Lord Shiva thought for a bit and suggested that they have a race. He said that whoever went around the whole world three times and came back first to the starting point first would be the winner and get the magical fruit. Upon hearing this Lord Kartikeya flew away on his peacock hastily to take a round of the world, quite confident because his brother was slower and fatter; while Lord Ganesh simply walked around Shiva and Parvati and encircled them three times and asked for the prize of his success. Lord Shiva told him that he had not gone around the world, but Ganesha lovingly replied saying, “No, but I have gone around my parents. My parents represent the entire manifested universe!” And upon hearing this Lord Shiva decided Ganesh to be the winner and the tales of his wisdom and intellect abound to this day.

There are many stories of this Hindu god. In fact each name and form of Lord Ganesh has a story behind it. Different Ganesh statues too represent some or the other form of the lord. Reading up on some stories might be a good way to get an insight into such Hindu gods.

Hindu Deities Statues

All Hindu deities’ statues represent one or more particular aspects of the Supreme Being. And while Hindus worship many gods and goddesses, they believe that all these are forms of that one Supreme God. For this reason, it can be said that Hinduism is not just Polytheism, but a Monotheistic Polytheism. One of the celebrated goddesses in Hinduism is goddess Lakshmi. Believed to be the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, fertility, luxury and beauty, the deity promises material and spiritual fulfillment to her worshippers. Some of the many names of this goddess are Padma, Padmahasta, Bhargavi, Sridevi, Bhumi Devi, Chanchala, Indira, Ramaa Devi, Shri, Vaishnavi, Mahalaxmi, Jalaja, Aishwarya, Roma, and Padmamaladhara Devi.

This wife of Vishnu is associated with blessing the worshippers with eight types of wealth. These are Adi Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi (granary wealth), Dhairya Lakshmi (wealth of courage), Gaja Lakshmi (elephant as the symbol of wealth), Santana Lakshmi (wealth of progeny), Vijaya Lakshmi (wealth of victory), Vidya Lakshmi (wealth of knowledge) and Dhana Lakshmi (monetary wealth). Statues of the goddess are depicted in a female form with four arms. She is mostly dressed in red hues with golden borders and gold jewelry. Carrying gold coins and lotuses in her hand, she is also standing on a large lotus or sitting on an owl (Ulooka) or celestial turtle. There are two elephants standing next to the goddess’s figure.

The two elephants stand for the name and fame associated with wealth, while the colour red is symbolic of activity and hard work. The four arms represent the four directions and the presence of god. The donned gold linings on the sari and jewelry denote prosperity, and the lotus the goddess stands on is symbolic of not being too attached to materialistic things like monetary wealth, just like the lotus flower that calmly floats on the surface of water but does not get wet. The deity Lakshmi’s hands too signify a great deal. The hands towards the front are symbolic of the physical world and the work that needs to be put in, in order to achieve the goals in life. The other two hands indicate the spiritual activity one must not forget to do in order to live a complete life.

Hindu Deities statues like Lakshmi idols are prayed to and kept in most homes. The goddess is especially worshipped during the festival of lights, Diwali. This daughter of the Sea is said to be the power and Maya of Lord Vishnu, who is the preserver of the world. This is the reason that some idols of Vishnu have two forms of Lakshmi. These are Sridevi, which is the goddess of wealth and knowledge, and Bhudevi, which is the mother form of the goddess.

Hinduism Statues

Hinduism statues are three dimensional sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses. In view of the fact that symbolism is a great part of this religion, you may notice that deities are represented carrying weapons, atop various animals or birds, holding particular flowers, having multiple hands or heads, etc. While many of you may not know the significance of such aspects in the sculpted figure, all such facets stand for various attributes the god or goddess embodies. For instance, the lotus flower is considered to be the symbol of auspiciousness, beauty and truth. Therefore, Hindu deities who carry or are presented seated on a lotus are said to possess such qualities in their mythological being or personality, such as Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Laxmi, Lord Bramha, Lord Vishnu, etc.

The Hindu religion is believed to have 33,00,00,000 deities, and this may be the reason why it is quite confusing for people from all over the world to identify one from another, without the use of symbols that represent them. Non-Hindus as well as foreigners may be able to recognize lord Ganesh because no other god in Hinduism has an elephant’s head or a mouse as his mode of transportation. They may call him by many names like Ganpati, Gajanana or even the Elephant God, but they refer to the same deity.

If you are looking to buy a deity statue for your home, it may be wise to look for the perfect piece online. You may come across quite a few dealers and manufacturers that sell such sculptures in a variety of sizes; but before doing all that you need to be sure of what god or goddess you are procuring. While most companies are reliable, it is advisable to have a basic knowledge of the god or goddess and their prominent symbols to make your hunt worthwhile. After spending a considering amount of money and time you want the statue to be perfect and have all the attributes of that deity.

Lord Shiva can be identified as a male figure carrying a trident. On the other hand, Lord Vishnu is bound to be carrying a discus, while his incarnation Lord Krishna can be recognized by the lovely peacock feather in his crown. Just like the weapons or embellishments can help you identify the deities, so can their means of transportation, namely the different birds and animals. For example, the bull is lord Shiva’s companion in travel, while Vishnu rests on a great big serpent but travels on a giant eagle. Even the various creatures used as vehicles (vahanas) by the gods are symbolic.

Hinduism Statues are full of mystery and allure, not to mention great beauty. So, start your search for the ideal statue only after you truly know which deity you want to welcome into your home.

Indian God Statues

In the holy book of Hinduism called the Bhagavad Gita, it is written that ‘even those who worship other gods, ancestral deities, elemental powers, if they do so with complete faith, then their faith is justified, for the Divine accepts every form conceived by the worshipper’. It is a pleasant fact that if you are out looking for Indian God Statues, you may come across a whole wide range of them on the Internet. Some of the popular ones are those of Hindu deities like Lord Ganesh, Lord Krishna, Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Durga, and saints such as Saibaba, Mahavir, Swami Samartha, etc.

Despite the fact that such statues are available at different locations throughout the country, and finding a statue of your choice is not too hard a task, a majority of people are turning to Internet shopping and online hunts for the perfect Indian gods’ statues. There are quite a few advantages of going online instead of personally taking a trip to the marketplace and finding a sculpture or artisan or shop that sells such products. Plus, there is always a limited choice when it comes to just one or two stores. Online shopping on the other hand is a whole different ball game. Not only does this method save you time and effort, but also gives you the freedom to shop on your own time, any hour of day or night. Plus with so many dealers of statues online, you can be sure of getting a wealth of variety regarding choice in materials, designs, gods, styles, work, carvings, etc., providing complete value for money.

Seeing that Hindu gods and goddesses statues can come in a plenty of diverse forms, it is crucial for you to know exactly what you are looking for. First of all you must decide on the god you want to purchase. Here, let us assume that you want to buy a statue of Lord Krishna. The next step would be to search for companies that make and sell Krishna statues. Once you have shortlisted a few companies that fit your criteria for standard and quality, you can go through the pictures of different statues to find one that you like. To make this process even simpler you can even decide on a particular form or aspect of the selected god as well. For example, choose whether you want to buy a Krishna statue that has him in his warrior – poet form, as a mischievous child, as a young man, or with Radha.

No matter what form or god you desire to own, you can be sure that the best place to look for Indian gods statues is on the Internet, thanks to reputable and reliable statue dealers.

Religious Sculptures & Indian Statues

Religious sculptures have been an integral part of Indian lifestyle and history. In the olden times a large number of such sculptures were only created for communal temples, the elite and the state’s royal families. In the present day on the other hand, religious Indian statues can be readily bought by anyone who desires their beauty. You can find a wide range of statues in a variety of sizes, designs, and materials of most of the prominent religious deities in the market. If you are unable to acquire exactly what you want or live out of India and no way of finding a shop that sells such sculptures, you can always rely on the Internet to hunt for the statue of the precise deity that you want.

Finding statues and sculptures of religious significance is a fairly easy task, thanks to the many small and big companies present online that deal in supplying such sculptures all across the world. These companies have beautiful and elaborate websites that provide all the needed information about the statues as well as the deities or saints. The products are effectively marketed by beautiful high definition photographs, and mention of the exact dimensions of the figure as well as material used to make the statue and its required maintenance. All these features make this kind of online shopping easy and effortless. Another marked benefit of buying the statue you want online, is the kind of choices that are present online. You have the advantage of selecting the material, size, design, etc, from an unending selection from various companies.

Many of you may feel reluctant to use their credit card and shop online, but if you deal with a reputed and reliable company, this becomes a non-issue. It is advisable that when you go through the website, look for an assurance for secure and safe money transaction. It may be wise to even check out a few testimonials or blogs on the site to get a better idea of what you are ordering. Such Indian statues are making for popular gifts nowadays. They are intricately carved and look exceedingly exquisite and beautiful. While a majority prefers to use religious idols as a part of their praying rituals, there is an increase in the number of people who buy such sculptures as part of the décor.

Religious sculptures and Indian statues are no longer only spotted at homes and offices; today such carved figures are also gracing the best hotels, lounges, and recreational buildings of the world as center pieces. It cannot be denied that such idols add their special elegance and unique attractiveness to any setting. So why wait to get your hands on the sculpture of your choice? Start browsing now!