God in the eyes of man

The exquisitely decorated Lord Ganesha sculptures on the side walls of the mukkula Vinayagar temple in Pondicherry brings out a joy and exuberance in life instantly. The adorable god, Ganesh, is sculpted as he is been worshipped in different countries across the world. The depiction doesn’t reveal the god’s identity but helps in identifying a man’s perception conjured in his visual image.

In India, he is mostly seen as a humble and joyful god, who is happy to rest under a peepal tree as well as in the corner of streets, looks distinct in each sculpture. The Japanese made the trunk of the god in sculpture straight but very short who sits merrily with his pot belly, and doesn’t seems complaining about his short trunk on the walls. The Cambodian Ganesha brings surprise when he shows off his flat stomach and a thin tusk in the figurine. I found him conscious in the carving, may be, because I was taken aback with his healthy and fit stature.

The Bangladeshi Ganesha gives darshan with his four hands and a sword rested on his shoulder which usually spotted in the hands of goddess Durga. I presume he is looked upon as a god with the combination of brain and braveness, holds lots of similarities to goddess Durga in his carvings.

The Chinese Ganesha is unique with his trunk carefully folded towards its right side with a sharp edge. It resembles mandarin alphabet’s fine strokes that drawn with precision. The Ganesha in Sri Lanka looks similar to our Indian sculptures but the measurement varies. He is shown with broad shoulders looking little big to his size that we are accustomed to and also looks short in the carving.

Apart from the depictions of other countries, our sculptors chiseled few things from their figments of imagination. In a figurine, he thrills us with six hands and in the other he is adorned with jewels. The sculpture of Bal Ganesha poses the famous posture of Lord Natraja where Ganesha manages his whole body weight with one leg and the other leg is suspended in mid-air. Another distinct one, infant Ganesha rest on the laps of his father, god Shiva, and in the adjacent sculpture he is in the hands of his mother, goddess Parvathy.

An interesting sculpture of Ganesha sitting atop his vehicle, rat, and both of them look away furiously. In the other, he has taken the avatar of mayur (Peacock) where he is adorned with peacock feathers and, needless to say, makes a pretty picture.

The human’s way of perceiving things reflected in these sculptures and has more to do than mere appreciation of an art. Now, I am reminded by the Nobel peace prize winner, Wangari Mathai, - she said Jesus Christ, worshipped by her and her clan, is black. Indeed.