Brass Miniature Ganesh Votive - 18th Century

Ganesh is the ever-blissful, elephant-headed god who is lovingly worshipped and revered by millions of Hindus worldwide. He is the God of good luck and auspiciousness. He is also worshipped as the God of wisdom, wealth, health, celibacy, fertility and happiness. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. Ganesh is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, success and the fine arts. He is one of the five prime Hindu deities. The mythological story of Ganesh is that Parvati was bathing in the forest and a boy was guarding her privacy. Shiva wanted to pass by to see Parvati, but the boy wouldn't allow him. Shiva became angry and cut off the boys' head. Parvati returned from bathing and exclaimed that the dead boy was her son. Shiva sent his men back to get his head but they could only find an elephant's head so they put that on instead & the boy lived again. 

Due to heavy rubbing through prayer (puja), finer details of the face have been worn away. Ganesh statues like this were used in house shrines.