Ganesha on a carriage

Ganesha on a carriage,

Residing in the mix of multi-racial and hence multi-cultural that is Malaysia, I wasn't surprised to witness this scene while I was driving in the heart of the city.

The display was so colourful and a feast for the eye that I had to stop and take a look for myself what this was all about.

Ignorant me ofcourse, not understanding what the procession was about, so a quick check with some local bystanders and I gained a clearer picture of what it was about.

Hindu's were celebrating the birthday of the elephant headed God, Lord Ganesha, who apparently is the lord of the Beginnings....thus the Mother of all Gods (that's my understanding :p, I could be wrong ofcourse).  The reverence to his Lordship is so great that Hindu's always start saying his name at the start of every ritual and ceremony that Hindu's perform.

Origins of its elephant head vary wildly, but Hindu's believe that by accepting this deity, they accept to look beyond outer appearances, thus focusing on the spiritual side of life.....and I bet spirituality is badly needed in today's materialistic world of ours.

So in this case they put Lord Ganesha on a colourful decked out carriage with statuettes of other deities and venture out on a short procession route, starting from this temple and winding up at another temple down the road, and along the road sprinkling good fortune to the bystanders or rather believers who come up in troves.


Now that I stopped by, I do hope that dear Lord Ganesha heard my birthday wishes and in return maybe some of the good fortune will be bestowed upon our family :)