Lord Ganesha

Before a Tamil family begins almost anything, whether a puja, a journey, a wedding, a new school year or even a letter, they first remember Pillaiyar (பிள்ளையார்). Lord Ganesha, the elephant-faced god, is believed to remove obstacles and bless new beginnings. He is worshipped first at the start of every ceremony, and his cheerful shrines are everywhere: in grand temples, under village trees, beside rivers and tanks, and on busy street corners.

Who is Ganesha?

According to tradition, Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and in Tamil tradition he is the elder brother of Murugan.

A popular story from the Puranas explains his elephant head. Parvati shaped a boy and asked him to guard her door. When Shiva came home, the boy, not knowing who he was, would not let him in, and in the struggle that followed the boy lost his head. To comfort Parvati, Shiva gave the child the head of an elephant, brought him back to life and made him leader of his attendants, the ganas. That is why he is called Ganapathi.

Another well-known legend says that when the sage Vyasa recited the Mahabharata, Ganesha wrote it all down. When his pen gave way, he broke off one of his own tusks and kept writing, which is why he is often shown with one broken tusk.

Names and forms

• Pillaiyar (பிள்ளையார்) – "the noble child", the name most Tamil families use every day
• Vinayagar (விநாயகர்) – often explained as "the one with no master above him"
• Vigneshwarar (விக்னேஸ்வரர்) – Lord of obstacles, who removes them for his devotees
• Aanaimugan (ஆனைமுகன்) – the elephant-faced one
• Ekadanta (ஏகதந்தன்) – the one with a single tusk

An image with the trunk curling to the right is called Valampuri Vinayagar (வலம்புரி விநாயகர்) and is considered especially auspicious. In Tamil Nadu, Pillaiyar is usually worshipped on his own, and a playful folk tale says he sits by rivers and tanks waiting to find a bride as lovely as his mother.

Symbols and what they mean

• The pillaiyar suzhi (பிள்ளையார் சுழி) – the curl "உ", which many Tamils write at the top of a page before writing anything else: letters, account books, wedding invitations and even exam papers. It is a way of asking Pillaiyar to bless a good start. Families explain its shape in different ways; some see in it the curve of an elephant's trunk.
• The elephant head – popular explanations say the big ears remind us to listen more, the small eyes to focus, and the long trunk to be both strong and gentle.
• The modakam or kozhukattai in his hand – the sweetness of a good life and the reward of devotion.
• The noose (பாசம்) and the goad (அங்குசம்) – to draw devotees close and to nudge them away from wrong paths.
• The mouse (மூஞ்சூறு) – a tiny animal carrying a great god, often said to show restless desires brought under control.
• Arugampul (அருகம்புல்) – bunches of this humble grass are his favourite offering, along with garlands of erukkam flowers (எருக்கம் பூ).

Important temples in Tamil Nadu

• Ucchi Pillaiyar Temple – Rock Fort, Tiruchirappalli – on top of the great rock. According to legend, Pillaiyar, disguised as a boy, set down the image of Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam and then ran up this rock.
• Karpaga Vinayagar Temple – Pillaiyarpatti, near Karaikudi – an ancient rock-cut cave temple, one of the best-known Pillaiyar shrines in Tamil Nadu.
• Mukkuruni Vinayagar – inside the Meenakshi Amman Temple, Madurai – a very large Pillaiyar, named, it is said, after the huge measure of rice used for his Chathurthi kozhukattai.
• Swetha (White) Vinayagar – Thiruvalanchuzhi, near Kumbakonam – a white image that, according to tradition, was formed from sea foam.

Just as dear to Tamils are the countless small roadside shrines. The Pillaiyar under the arasamaram (அரசமரம்), the sacred peepal tree, by the village tank is often the first temple a child learns to love.

Festivals

• Vinayagar Chathurthi – in the month of Aavani, on the fourth day of the waxing moon. Families bring home a clay Pillaiyar, often topped with a little colourful umbrella, and decorate him with arugampul and erukkam garlands. Offerings include kozhukattai, sundal, fruit and flowers. After the festival, the clay image is placed in water with a prayer. Plain, unpainted clay is kinder to rivers and lakes.
• Sankatahara Chathurthi – every month, on the fourth day after the full moon. Some devotees fast until they see the moon rise.
• Every other festival – at many home pujas, from Pongal to a housewarming, a small cone of turmeric paste is shaped as Pillaiyar and worshipped first.

Devotional songs and prayers

• Vinayagar Agaval (விநாயகர் அகவல்) – a devotional poem by Avvaiyar (ஔவையார்). According to a well-loved legend, Avvaiyar would not rush her worship even when others were leaving for Shiva's home on Mount Kailash, and Pillaiyar lifted her with his trunk and set her down there before them.
• "Paalum theli thenum" – a tiny, much-loved verse also credited to Avvaiyar, which children often learn first. She offers Pillaiyar milk, clear honey, jaggery syrup and lentils, and asks in return for சங்கத் தமிழ் மூன்றும், the three kinds of Tamil: poetry, music and drama.
• Kaithala Nirai Kani (கைத்தல நிறைகனி) – the opening song of Arunagirinathar's Thiruppugazh is in praise of Pillaiyar, even though the collection is dedicated to Murugan.

Worship at home

• Write "உ" at the top of your page before you begin writing, just as generations of Tamil children have done.
• Say a short prayer to Pillaiyar before starting homework, a journey or a new project.
• Many devotees do thoppukaranam (தோப்புக்கரணம்) in front of Pillaiyar: crossing their arms to hold their ears and bending the knees a few times.
• Offer a few blades of arugampul or a flower, and chant Om Gam Ganapathaye Namaha.
• On Vinayagar Chathurthi, make kozhukattai together. Shaping them is a lovely job for small hands.

Stories to read

• The Fruit of Wisdom – how clever Pillaiyar won a race around the world without leaving home.