Topic Research: Ganesha's Guide to Holiday Foods

For my project, I think it would be fun to approach storytelling on the origins of Lord Ganesha with special emphasis on the all the sweets he adored. I found sources with interesting stories and general information I thought would be useful before crafting a narrative. 

1. Tales of Ancient India by Edmund Charles link
This book focuses a chapter on the origin of Ganesha. It is revealed that before him, gods and men acted upon anything their hearts desired. Prayers were chanted to Siwa to create a being who will reassess an evil thought before it transforms into an evil action. Ganesha was then born as Lord of Wisdom.

2. Mythological Anecdotes of Ganesha link 
This article tells multiple tales of how Lord Ganesha got his elephant head. 
  • Decapitation by Lord Shiva: There's the decapitation during which Lord Shiva fought Ganesha because he would not let anyone pass and see his mother, who instructed her son to do so. So Ganesha was decapitated and when it was revealed that he was their son, Lord Shiva tried to replace his head with the first animal Shiva-dutas found lying dead with a north facing head.  
  • Gaze of Shani: Shani would not look at Parvati's son, Ganesha, because he was cursed with the ability to destroy everything in sight. But after Parvati insisted to look, he listened, which resulted in Ganesha's head falling off. 
  • The Story of Ganesha's Appetite: Kubera, the God of Wealth, invited Shiva to Mount Kailash for a feast but he was unable to attend so he sent his son instead. Ganesha ate and ate what seemed like a ceaseless amount of food. 
3. Ganesha article link 
This source provided a lot of useful background information on Ganesha including etymology and iconography. The last section in this article is informative about Ganesha beyond India and Hinduism with influence in other religions like Buddhism. 

4. Ganesha Chaturthi link.
This is an article detailing a holiday celebrating Ganesha. I learned of some favorite sweet dish recipes for this occasion such as laddus and modak. The usual ten-day festival is marked with prayers, chanting of Vedic hymns, offerings of sweets, and at-home family celebrations.

Ganesha, the God of Obstacles, holds a bowl of sweets. Source: flickr.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to a coffee fanatic

Image
I am a junior pre-medical student majoring in Psychology with minors in Microbiology and Medical Humanities. Upon graduating in May 2019, I hope to attend medical school and become a physician. One of the ceaseless reasons for my career pursuit stems from my advocacy to increase accessible healthcare. Ten years from now, I see myself traveling to developing countries such as my parents’ motherland, Bangladesh, to make healthcare, and healthy lifestyles in general, more opportune. I truly believe we all can live in a better world if we help others delve into happiness as we do so ourselves.  Medical school: a goal of mine for as long as I can remember! Source: flickr Aside from my biggest hopes and dreams, just like most college students, I find myself stressed during midterms, semester projects, and piecing together the puzzle that is life! In the midst of an incredibly busy schedule, however, I am sure to make time for a little fun. During winter break, I vacationed in ...
Read more

Week 5 Storytelling: Rama Banishes Sita

Image
Rama's love for Sita was infinite and his plans to protect this were unstoppable. Source: Wikimedia Commons . After fourteen extensive years of living in exile, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana return to the motherland of Ayodhya. The entire kingdom is overjoyed and cheering for the victorious three, especially for the return of Dasharatha’s favorite son. Rama receives the greatest praise ever known as he deservedly is crowned King. The celebrations seemed never-ending, as Ayodhya was the most blissful ever. Everything was lined up for a happily ever after until… A couple of weeks went until Rama announced with great pleasure that Sita was expecting. Much to the newly-crowned king’s surprise, the people reacted with disgust. Hideous rumors began circulating the kingdom that Sita had been an unfaithful wife when she was under in Ravana’s capture. Sita felt utterly dejected by the flood of attacks and accusations of venomous scandals. She finally put an end to leaving the palace, fea...
Read more